Epic
by upintheclouds624
Summary: AU Continuation of Chemistry - but set 10 years later ... Life Happens - things you never expect to occur. Can Fitz and Olivia's love be the Epic love story we all hope for? Read and find out. CHEMISTRY IS NOT COMPLETED - this is flashfoward into the future - Chemistry is the BEGINNING of a great love story
1. Chapter 1

_"FITZ! FITZ! FITZ!"_

_"Wake up! Wake up! Olivia, wake up!"_

_"Fitz?"_

_"No."_

_"Where's Fitz? I want Fitz!"_

_"He's not coming. He doesn't care. Look what he did to you!"_

_"This is not his fault! I want Fitz! Please someone! Get me Fitz!"_

Ten years later…

"Okay. I'll call you when the plane lands. It won't be that long. You talked to my father? What did he say? … Okay… I love you, too, Mellie. Bye."

Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III swiftly put the phone in his pocket and shook his head. Nothing ever good came out of Big Gerry talking to Mellie. He had long since figured this out.

Fitz was flying to Santa Barbara from New York for the fundraiser Big Gerry was throwing. Despite Fitz's continuous protests of not being ready, Big Gerry and Mellie wanted Fitz to run for governor in the upcoming election. Fitz was still working for the mayor in New York and it had only been two years since he finished law school. He didn't feel like he was ready.

But, Big Gerry and Mellie kept insisting…

It was easier to just capitulate into their demands instead of arguing with them. Running for governor wasn't that far off of a shot, but Fitz didn't feel ready for it. He wanted to continue working in New York. They still had a year and some change until the actual election, at least that's what Fitz kept telling himself. He had time.

He had time…

"Olivia! You ready to go?"

"I'm coming down now!"

"I've got your coat down here!"

"You are heaven sent! Thank you!" called Olivia as she ran down the stairs with her heels in one hand and holding the banister in the other. She didn't want to slip and fall on her way down. That's all they needed to top their night off.

"Wow. Liv, you look beautiful," smiled Edison, the gleam in his eye matching his words.

"Why, thank you kind sir," giggled Olivia as she got on her tippy toes, placing a sweet kiss on Edison's cheek, wanting to reward him for his compliment.

"I really am the luckiest man alive. God Liv, have I told you how happy you've made me by saying yes?" gushed Edison.

"No… or maybe like a million," laughed Olivia. She still got a kick out of how ridiculously happy Edison was since she agreed to marry him.

"Baby, I'm just so happy. Can you believe it? In one year! One year and you will be Olivia Davis. Do you want to move back to Rhode Island and get a house there? Or do you want to stay in D.C. ? Anything your heart desires, I will give it to you," professed Edison.

"How about we get to that dinner that's in your honor, Senator Davis, and then, then we can start discussing living arrangements," placated Olivia, not wanting to have such a heavy discussion right before they went out.

"Okay, okay. You're right. Just put your hand up, one more time, for me," requested Edison.

"Really," teased Olivia, rolling her eyes at Edison's request.

"Please," begged Edison.

So, Olivia put up her left hand, showing Edison the beautiful engagement ring that he had recently put on her finger. Since the moment Edison put it on, he kept asking Olivia to show him her hand. He had to told her that he loved seeing his grandmother's ring on her finger, an outward sign to the world of how much he loved her and how much she loved him.

Olivia did love Edison. She did. But, every time she looked down at that ring, her eye twitched a little and her breath caught in her throat, like she was choking. A pain seared through her heart and when she looked away, all those symptoms magically vanished. It was reaction she could not control.

She loved Edison. Olivia kept telling herself that. She really did, but she just wish she didn't feel this way every time she looked her ring.

Olivia pulled Edison into her arms and kissed him sweetly, wanting to chase away the feelings that had suddenly overtaken her. "Help me with my coat, so we can go," she instructed and she slipped on her shoes.

"Anything you want Mrs. Davis," smiled Edison.

Together they left for the gala that was being held for Senator Edison Davis of the great state of Rhode Island.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mellie!"

"What?!"

"Are you listening to anything I am saying? No, I don't want to invite the Vanderbilts to this thing. This has nothing to do with them," repeated Fitz over the phone for the third time. He was really getting tired of Mellie going over his head when he asked her not to do something.

"But, Fitz, they are close friends of yours. You work for their uncle, I don't see why we wouldn't want to invite them," countered Mellie.

"Because, I don't even know if I'm eligible for the ticket. I don't want them to get an ideas and tell McNamara that I'm leaving him to go be governor of a state I still have yet to live in," explained Fitz.

"Relax. They just think it's about your father and not you. I won't say anything. Don't you think it would be worse if they found out you had a party and didn't invite them," reasoned Mellie.

"Mellie, I am now begging you. Please do not do this to me. Please. If you love me at all, you will respect my wishes on this, please," pleaded Fitz, hoping this would finally work to get through to Mellie.

"Okay, fine. I won't invite them," relented Mellie, finally giving in.

"Thank god," exhaled Fitz. He felt like he just wrestled an alligator.

"Relax. I don't want anything to ruin your chances or your relationship with McNamara, because we are definitely going to need his support if we really want to win this," reasoned Mellie.

"Thank you for finally seeing it this way," replied Fitz.

"Alright, I've got a meeting with Big Gerry in an hour, I need to get to. I'll talk to you later," responded Mellie, leaning down to kiss Fitz before she left.

"Bye, Mellie," said Fitz as she walked through the door.

Fitz still didn't understand why he had flown in early for the fundraiser if it wasn't for another few days. When Mellie had spoken to him, she insisted he get in the night before, acting as though the fundraiser was that night. Instead, it was really just a ploy to get him to California earlier, so that he could help plan the party. Fitz felt terrible about leaving New York and his job just for this.

Sometimes, Mellie's scheming and conniving ways made him reconsider why he ever asked her to marry him. And as soon as his mind went to that thought, he remembered immediately why.

Because Mellie never left him. She stood by his side, even when he told her not to. Even when he told her to move on, that he would never be whole again. Mellie had been there for him, through thick and thin. Fitz could always count on Mellie to be there.

Pain seared through Fitz's heart for a brief moment. Unbearable pain. Pain that had brought him to his knees. Pain that had changed him completely from the man he had once been.

He couldn't even utter the name, the root of all his pain. Never step foot into any place that had ever held them both in it. That's why, even now, years later, whenever he went back to Santa Barbara, he always stayed at a hotel. His own home was no longer the sanctuary it used to be. It was just tainted with memories that no amount of time could erase.

Big Gerry knew the reasoning behind it, but never mention another word about it after the discussion they had. Despite being heartless, Big Gerry always went out of his way to make sure Fitz was okay. Happiness no longer was an option. So, when Mellie suggested having the gala at the house in Santa Barbara, Big Gerry immediately nixed that idea. They found a more suitable venue for the event, and Mellie was none the wiser.

Hopefully, when Fitz finally married Mellie, there would finally be some happiness in him.

Elsewhere…

Olivia sat on the train, hoping she wouldn't be late to her meeting. Despite the gala the night before, Olivia still had to be back in D.C. in the morning. Work was still her main priority. It had been her saving grace and it would continue to act as so. Edison had protested to Olivia having to leave so soon, as she had just gotten in that afternoon for the gala. It didn't matter. Olivia couldn't stand to be alone for too long. Her mind would start to wonder, and when that started happening, it would never lead to anything good.

Olivia had learned long ago that she needed to always be busy and stay focused. After the event, the only person who really understood the need to stay busy was her mother. Her mother had been there for her through it all. Audry had been able to refocus her daughter. All along her mother had been correct. No man would ever have Olivia's best interest at heart. The only person she could truly rely on was her mother.

Edison never seemed to catch on to that. He had been a great friend all through college. They had bonded when Olivia joined the debate team, and ever since then had been best friends. A few years ago, Olivia had bumped into Edison while she was running an errand at Justice and Edison made her stop and give him her number. It turned out Edison was working for Congressman Dillon of Rhode Island. Instead of going to work for a law firm after finishing law school at Yale, Edison was fulfilling his dream of going into public office.

Olivia had wanted to get out of Boston as soon as she could, but knowing that leaving Harvard had not been in her best interest, she finished out her four years, earning two degrees, and getting a prestigious internship at Hinkle, Schmitt, & Larson, in D.C., the summer after junior year. After that experience, Olivia knew D.C. was where she wanted to be. She lucked out and got accepted into Georgetown University.

Going to law school had been one of the best decisions Olivia ever made, happy that she was on track to success. After working for the last two years as a new grad, Olivia was happy to get bumped up in status at the crisis management firm of West, Gibbons, & Elliot. She no longer was a new grad, she was an associate. Olivia worked long and hard for the firm, never letting time or days of the week effect her work ethic. She would be seen in the office even on Saturdays and Sundays, not giving up on a case until it was over.

Edison never seemed to have a problem with this. Olivia just hoped that now with the engagement, Edison would still be okay with her work schedule. She had a feeling, though, he wouldn't.


	3. Chapter 3

"I need to get back to New York. Are you coming with me?"

"I need to stay here another few days. I'll be back in time for the Children's Hospital benefit gala McNamara is hosting, though," answered Mellie.

"Okay. I'll see you in a few days," said Fitz as he kissed Mellie on the forehead, picked up his briefcase and left. He was heading to the airport to get back to NYC.

The party Big Gerry and Mellie threw went surprisingly well. Fitz had forgotten what a smooth politician Big Gerry could be. Big Gerry had paved a yellow brick road for Fitz to follow straight to the governor's mansion and no one was the wiser. Fitz was brought out and shown off like a prized thoroughbred, with Big Gerry and Mellie whispering and suggesting what an amazing governor Fitz would make to anyone who would listen. It was a show to watch Mellie and Big Gerry, apparently, at their finest.

Mayor McNamara had scheduled an important meeting Fitz had to be at that afternoon. It was a welcomed appointment. After spending so many days in SoCal, Fitz was sick of being around his father and Mellie. Knowing Mellie for as long as Fitz did, he had gotten used to her tough girl show, but under the dragon-like exterior she wasn't so bad. Fitz just had to keep reminding himself that.

Mellie, despite her best efforts when they first met, could not get Fitz under her spell. He remembered how she tried, but nothing ever happened. As fate would have it, though, she was there at his moment of need in Oxford.

Fitz had run into Mellie while he was at the Chessborough Pub in Oxford. He was there for his nightly ritual of drinking scotch until he was at the brink of passing out. Fitz would drink to the limit where he still could make it up the stairs to his apartment, above the pub. He had picked that flat due to it's convenient location. Fitz would make it a few steps inside the apartment, sometimes all the way to his bed, sometimes collapsing on the floor, and pass out into a fitful sleep.

That had become his nightly ritual since the event. At first, he couldn't even get himself out of bed, but his father came and shook him out of that habit. Now, instead, every night Fitz drank himself to sleep, woke up every morning, exercised for two hours, went and was productive at Oxford like the Rhodes scholarship required of him, worked out again, and then drank himself to sleep. Fitz finally realized how talented he was because he still managed to succeed at Oxford despite his self-destructive behavior.

At first Fitz could not sleep when the incident first occurred and his sleepless nights plagued him with hallucinations of happier times. Then, he turned to his old friend, scotch, to help ease the pain. And, as scotch always did, it helped him. He numbed himself enough to get some sleep so that his mind could restart itself instead of replaying over and over his beautiful memories that now turned into nightmares. Eventually, the scotch lost it's potency and Fitz was still filled with the thrumming. The feel of the reel spinning in his head, replaying a movie of a beautiful existence he once lived but was now lost to him. The thrumming had gotten to the point where he was shaking, and only way to stop the shaking was to exercise. So, that was what Fitz did. He exercised and exercised, hoping for a release.

Then, that night, as fate would have it, Mellie walked into the bar with a bunch of girls and noticed Fitz. She immediately walked over to him and started flirting, still not giving up on her pursuit of him. Despite her prior best attempts, Mellie had still not gotten it in her head that Fitz wasn't interested. Mellie was a reminder of the man Fitz had once been, not what he had become. Fitz tried to make an effort with conversation, but in the end, he just wanted to be left alone and not reminisce of the old days with her.

Mellie had been in England because she was granted study abroad for the spring semester at Oxford. She didn't know that Fitz was there, but it was a happy surprise when she walked into the Chessborough pub and saw him there. It was like all her dreams had come true. Fitz, alone, in England, while she was there, too. What were the chances of that?

After a few minutes of trying to talk to Fitz, Mellie had realized Fitz was not the guy she had met at Harvard. He looked sad. His eyes had deep dark circles around them and his hair had lost its luster. Fitz did look bigger though, as though there was more muscle, but it didn't work in his favor. After seeing Fitz like that, that night, Mellie felt something tug on her heartstrings. She no longer wanted to play the cat and mouse game she had become accustom to playing with Fitz. He no longer was the prized boyfriend she once thought him to be. Fitz looked like he needed a friend, and for the first time, that was what Mellie wanted to be to him.

The next day, Mellie started looking around the Oxford campus, wanting to find Fitz. She found him in the library, reading a huge book that looked ancient. Mellie tried to make conversation with him, but he just gave short answers, acting as though he was too busy to pay her any attention. After a while, Mellie gave up and broke down telling him that she wasn't trying to pursue him. Mellie told him the truth, admitting that Fitz looked terrible, so terrible that she felt sorry for him. That something was making her want to be his friend and she wasn't going to give up until they were.

Fitz tried to ease her mind, telling her that he was fine and not to worry, but Mellie knew better. She gathered her things to leave, but before she left, she told she was not going to give up on him. To mark her words, they would be friends.

After that encounter, Mellie would go every night to the Borough, as everyone seemed to call the pub, and keep Fitz company. Slowly, but surely, Fitz stopped drinking so much and started conversing with her. They started to build a steady friendship, with Fitz realizing that Mellie wasn't so bad. One night, though, Mellie had attempted to ask him what happened to cause Fitz to change so much, but Fitz blew up at the probing and left her at the bar, taking a bottle of scotch with him back to his apartment. He spiraled out of control that night. Mellie found him two days later, still in the same clothes from the night of their argument, on the floor by the door of his apartment.

Mellie felt terrible. She learned her lesson, after that, they never mentioned the version of Fitz from the Harvard days, and she never asked questions about what happened to change him. Mellie never wanted to be responsible again for seeing Fitz like that.

That was how Fitz and Mellie became friends.

After finishing his Rhodes scholarship in a year, Fitz no longer had any interest in returning to Boston. He didn't want to do anything that reminded him of the man he used to be. He felt different and wanted to be different. Big Gerry had suggest that Fitz go to law school instead, citing that Yale was the best law school in the country, knowing Fitz's pension for wanting to be the best and go to the best. Fitz had no interest in going to law school, deciding he would rather do something more physical.

One night, while sitting on the porch of their beach house in South Carolina, Fitz decided he was going to join the Navy. He enlisted the next day without telling anyone, so that no one could stop him. Fitz always found the water had a calming affect over him, thinking that maybe being surround by it would help ease the wretched pain in his heart. He finally told Big Gerry the day before he had to report for training. Fitz thought Big Gerry would be angry, but instead Big Gerry encouraged him.

Fitz quickly raised to the top of his ranks by testing into the pilot program. He was top in his class, becoming one of the lead pilots in most missions. His colleagues were surprised by his daring maneuvers and how often he volunteered himself for dangerous missions. They would tease him, saying he was missing a gene. That whatever coded for fear in most people was missing in Fitz. Fitz seemed to be fearless. In reality, Fitz no longer had any sense of self-preservation. Dying was not something to be afraid, more like an end to his suffering. That's why he made such risky calls that luckily ended well.

Fours years and come and gone, and when they asked him if he wanted to re-enlist, Fitz no longer felt the need to be alone, so he said no. He was ready to rejoin the real world again.

Mellie had been the only one to keep in contact with him through the years. She would write him letters telling of her college days, when she got into Harvard law school, how she made the Harvard law review being a first year. Mellie filled him in on trivial details that made reconnecting to normal life easier. So, when he finally came home, he was not surprised to see her there waiting for him with his father.

Big Gerry had met Mellie on a trip when he had come to check on Fitz in Oxford and instantly approved of her. Despite Fitz clarifying that Mellie was just a friend, Big Gerry made sure to go out of his way to getting to know Mellie.

When Fitz was asked what he was going to do now that he was done with the Navy, Fitz responded saying he didn't know. Despite, finally recovering from the event, and becoming a person again, Fitz still felt lost. In the Navy, they just told him what to do and it was easier. The decision process was taken away and it cleared the path for him to what was needed, what was asked. Now, Fitz didn't have any blinders on to help him see the path. So, when Big Gerry suggested law school, Fitz was more open to the idea. It wasn't a definite route, but it gave him the opportunity to study and learn something new. Fitz always enjoyed going to school and law school definitely looked appealing now.

Fitz was able to gain admittance into Yale law school and went. There, Fitz was able to graduate top of his class. He even got a few papers published, bringing him notoriety. Since Connecticut wasn't so far from New York, Fitz was offered a job at the office of the mayor of New York City in his final year of law school. Fitz had been working there ever since, enjoying his job. Despite wanting to stay away from everything that would remind him of her, Fitz was able to enjoy living in New York. Though, he didn't stay in the apartment his father owned, and made sure to stay away from Brooklyn, plus any area that reminded him of her, Fitz was able to start building a life for himself.

And Mellie stuck by his side the entire time. She never once pushed herself on him, or made any type of romantic gesture. She supported him when he joined the Navy, would come and visit him with Big Gerry. Mellie was ecstatic when Fitz decided to go to law school. And when he needed a date for his first gala as a member of Mayor McNamara's administration, Mellie was there for him. That night, Fitz saw Mellie dazzling everyone with her quick tongue and wit, and he started seeing her in a new light.

When Fitz finally moved to New York, Mellie took him out with her and started introducing him to her friends. She was the only non-work related friend he had, and he enjoyed the company her and her peers. Mellie had been living in New York since she had graduated from law school and having an ally in the city proved to be useful in more than one way.

Mellie was a hard worker, dedicated to her career. Fitz enjoyed watching her succeed and move up the ranks while working at the prestigious law firm to McArthur & Choate. After they started dating, she didn't mind that Fitz always made work his main priority and at times would have to cancel on her, because she would do the same thing. It was almost a competition between them to see who was more dedicated to their job. Fitz got a kick out of it.

When he finally got to the point where he thought it would be a good idea to ask Mellie to marry him, Fitz asked Big Gerry for advice. Big Gerry couldn't be more supportive. Fitz was glad that Big Gerry liked Mellie.

Ever since the event, Big Gerry's opinion started counting more and more to Fitz. It seemed as though Big Gerry was the only one that Fitz could trust and count on. His father told him over and over again how Fitz was all he had and that he would always be there to take care of Fitz. Fitz believed it. He was grateful that his father was strong for him when Fitz couldn't be strong for himself.

Now, that Fitz was moving forward with his life, he felt great about his choice with Mellie. A few months of being engaged, Big Gerry had suggested that Mellie quit her job and start focusing on the wedding. Fitz was surprised by Big Gerry's suggestion, but what surprised him even more was Mellie's agreement. Mellie had actually quit her job, and since then, Fitz felt that their relationship had started to change.

He had been feeling this way for a few weeks now, but he couldn't change the fact that Mellie had been there for him. It probably was just all in his head, a delusion coming up now that he was being pressured to do something he didn't feel ready to do. Fitz would keep doing what he needed to do, focus, and push whatever negative thoughts of Mellie he had off to the side.

Fitz was now sitting waiting for Mayor McNamara and a few other colleagues to meet him at the restaurant. They were in the ultra lux and exclusive restaurant on the Upper East Side, The Ivy. While waiting, Fitz ordered a drink. When everyone was seated, the waiter brought over the drinks. Fitz took a sip, feeling his body immediately relax.

It was the first time in ten years Fitz felt that way. He immediately shrugged off the thought and took another sip.

Olivia had an important meeting that day in Manhattan with her client. Despite being based in D.C., Olivia frequently went up to New York for work. As she walked into The Ivy, Olivia noticed a large party of men, including the mayor, sitting and talking over drinks, as she was ushered to her table. 'Ah, Manhattan's elite,' laughed Olivia to herself, as she pulled out the brief she had been working on all day.

Olivia had a meeting with Charles Montgomery, the CEO of a large investment house in New York. She hadn't been given the specifics, but from what she heard, he was in the process of being busted for insider trading, and needed help to maintain his company's image while he found a suitable buyer so that he wouldn't lose everything when the Feds came after him.

Olivia had long established that she didn't care about her client's personal moral or ethical standards. If they had money and were willing to pay, she would provide her services. Olivia only cared about succeeding and her own personal gain, it no consequence to her, who she was defending. She had a job to do and that was all that mattered.

Fitz had thoroughly enjoyed his meeting. He actually had a few drinks along with his meal and was feeling wonderful. Happy to finally feel his body relax. He decided to take a taxi back to his apartment, wanting to see if he could finally get a good night's sleep in his relaxed state. As he closed the door to the cab he turned back to wave goodbye to his colleagues, something caught his eye.

A white flap of something, and Fitz looked up and couldn't believe the sight that caught his eye.

Olivia Pope.

His mind was blown. The taxi drove off before Fitz could realize what was happening, taking him further and further away from the sight that had haunted him for the last ten years.


	4. Chapter 4

Fitz couldn't believe his eyes. Quickly, he pulled out his phone, calling Mellie to try and get some grounding. The phone rang and rang, but Mellie didn't pick up. It went straight to voicemail.

How Fitz got into his apartment, out of his clothes and into his bed, was unknown. He just stayed there, catatonic, until the morning sunshine came beaming through the window. And even then, he did not get out of bed. The whole time, he kept staring up at the ceiling, watching his favorite movie play before his eyes.

All the memories that he worked so hard to push somewhere deep down inside him had shot right back up the moment he saw Olivia. All the happiness and joy was too much for his heart to take.

At three o'clock that afternoon, his phone started ringing and it wouldn't stop. He kept ignoring it, not wanting to stop the movie. Finally, after a half hour of constant ringing, Fitz finally got out of bed and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Fitzgerald, are you alright? What the hell happened to you today? Why didn't you go to work?" questioned Big Gerry.

"Dad?" asked Fitz, still not leaving his dream-like haze.

"Shit, Fitz? Fitz what's wrong? What happened?" shot Big Gerry.

"I saw her," whispered Fitz.

"Who did you see?" shouted Big Gerry, his worry rising by the moment. "WHO DID YOU SEE?"

"Her," answered Fitz.

Big Gerry didn't need any further information. He knew who her was. "Shit," was all that came out of his mouth. After a moment to formulate a plan, Gerry started checking to see how far off the deep end his son had fallen.

"Where are you?"

"Home."

"How long have you been there?"

"I don't know."

"How long has it been since you've seen her?"

"Ten years, four months, three days, seven hours, twenty-three minutes."

"Fuck. That's not what I meant. How long since you just seen her?"

"I don't know. Right after my meeting."

Gerry quickly logged into his son's planner, looking to see what time the meeting Fitz had the previous day. Basically, a day. Gerry knew he needed to get to New York immediately. He was not going to let his son go down that path again.

"Fitz, I'm coming. Don't go anywhere. Have you eaten?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Have you slept?"

"It's not dark yet."

"Christ. Go to the gym. You go everyday."

"I don't feel like it. Listen, I'm tired. I'm going back to bed. Bye, dad." Fitz hung up the phone and went back to watching his movie.

Big Gerry quickly dialed Mellie's number.

"Where the hell are you?" shouted Gerry into the receiver.

"Big Gerry? Is that you? I'm in L.A. looking for stuff for the wedding. Why? What's the matter?" responded Mellie.

"Why aren't you in New York with your fiancé?" questioned Gerry.

"Because, he's busy working and I have to plan the grandest wedding the state of California has ever seen," cut Mellie.

"Haven't you called your beloved at all?" countered Gerry.

"No. Why? He's probably at work or at the gym. I'll call him before I go to sleep tonight. I'm not his keeper, he's a grown man," shot Mellie.

"Sometimes Mellie, I wonder why I kept you around all those years," started Big Gerry. "Fitz is in a depression. He didn't go to work today. They called me because they wanted to see if he came back to Santa Barbara, since his fiancé was still in California. I called him, he hasn't left the bed since the day before."

"Shit. Did he sound drunk?" asked Mellie.

"No. You need to get back to New York right away. I told him I'd be there by tomorrow, but I have work. You need to go be by your husband's side," instructed Gerry.

"He's not my husband as of yet. I have an appointment tomorrow that took three months to book. I'm not leaving. I'm flying back on Friday for the benefit gala on Saturday. It's just a few days away, I'm sure he'll be fine by then. Even if he doesn't go to work, what takes them hours to do, Fitz does in minutes," replied Mellie.

"Are you serious? He's spiraling. What the hell is wrong with you?" shot Gerry.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I've seen him spiral. If there is no alcohol, we're okay. What could possible have happened to him to make him like this?" asked Mellie. Fitz and Gerry had still yet to tell Mellie what had happened to Fitz.

"I don't know, but all I know is that you need to get back there NOW," respond Gerry.

"I'm not. You told him you were coming, so now go. If things were so bad, they would have called me. They didn't, so it's fine. I'll call him now and see if anything there's anything I can do from here," shot Mellie before she hung up on Gerry.

Big Gerry looked at his phone incredulously. He couldn't believe what a piece of work Mellie could be at time. Gerry sent a quick prayer to the man above for his son, and went back to work, promising himself he would call later to check on Fitz.

Fitz kept watching the movie and finally something inside him clicked.

_"Fitz, why are you staying in bed?" _

_"Because I don't want to leave you."_

_"I'm not going anywhere now that you've found me. You can't just stay in bed. You better get some sleep and go to work in the morning."_

_"Olivia, I can't close my eyes. I'm afraid if I close them, when I open them, I won't see you again. I can't take not seeing you."_

_"I promise, you'll see me again. You need to get some sleep now."_

_"Okay, but how?"_

_"Just come and find me. Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you. Everything will be alright. Just get some sleep now."_

_"Okay."_

And with that Fitz closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, Fitz felt rejuvenated. Whatever plague had come over him had left and he felt loads better. He did see Olivia and that was that. Fitz needed to get to work. He had missed a day and now needed to catch up.

On his way to work Fitz looked down at his cell phone and saw he had a bunch of missed calls from his father and Mellie. That was weird. It was rare that Big Gerry ever called Fitz more than once. Consecutive calls were unheard of.

Fitz quickly called his father, wanting to make sure everything was alright.

"Dad, you called. What's up? Is anything the matter?" asked Fitz.

"Where are you?" shot Gerry.

"I'm in a cab on the way to work. Why?" replied Fitz.

"You alright? Did you get some sleep?" questioned Gerry.

"Yeah. I slept all night. Why? What happened?" asked Fitz.

"I called you yesterday because your work called me saying that you hadn't gone in that morning and they were checking to see if you had come to California. I called you and you were completely out of it. Do you remember any of this?" responded Gerry.

"Shit. Yeah. Sorry. My mind left me for a while, but I'm okay now. Sorry, dad. Really. I don't know what came over me. It's been ten years. I'm over it," said Fitz.

"Did you talk to Mellie?" asked Gerry.

"I think I called her a few days ago. She called last night, but I was sleeping. I was going to call her back now after I finished talking to you," explained Fitz.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to come?" continued Gerry.

"Dad, I'm fine. Yesterday was just a minor hiccup. Honestly, I'm alright. I'm glad it happened. It was like the closure that I needed. Everything is alright," recited Fitz, trying to calm down Big Gerry.

"Did you eat breakfast?" asked Gerry.

"I'm in a hurry to get to the office. I was planning on making my assistant go and grab me some coffee. I have a lunch meeting with Willard Scott, so I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll talk to you later," said Fitz and hung up the phone before Big Gerry could say another word.

Fitz quickly dialed Mellie, wanting to talk to her before he stepped inside the office. Mellie didn't answer, but then again, New York was three hours ahead of California. Fitz left her a quick voicemail telling her to call him and that he looked forward to seeing her.

Fitz went into the office and continued on as nothing ever happened.

That night. after her meeting in Manhattan, Olivia decided to stay in Brooklyn with her mother until her train the next morning.

"Mom, I don't know why, but ever since I left the restaurant, I've had a huge headache. It's like my body is stressed out," complained Olivia.

"Oh, honey. Do you want me to give you a Valium so that you can sleep tonight?" offered Audry.

"You think it will be okay with all the other meds I take?" questioned Olivia.

"You've taken it before, did it bother you then?" countered Audry.

"No, but I don't take so many now," replied Olivia.

"You still take the same amount, they are just reduced doses. One Valium won't bother you. It'll be fine. Take it and go to sleep, you still have to catch a train and a whole day worth of work tomorrow," placated Audry as she gave Olivia the Valium and a glass of water.

Olivia knocked out soon after, feeling her body relax in a medicated sleep. That night, for the first time in years, she dreamed of Fitz. At first, she tried to wake up, but she couldn't. So, after while, she just succumbed to the memories that were playing out in front of her. She felt her heart start to enlarge. All the love and happiness associated with Fitz filled her whole body. At one point, Olivia thought her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

The next morning she woke up, despite not wanting to. She wanted to stay in her dream state and keep replaying her memories. As she turned to take her morning meds, it was the first time in years that Olivia didn't want to take them. Olivia considered for a moment skipping a day and seeing how she felt, but then thought better of it because Audry would probably figure it out and raise all hell. It wasn't worth the argument.

Olivia quickly swallowed her pills for the day and then made her way downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, dear. Sleep well?" smiled Audry.

"Well, it was definitely a Valium induced sleep, that's for sure," muttered Olivia.

"Why? What happened?" questioned Audry.

"Nothing. Have you ever had a dream and thought to yourself 'Where the hell did that just come from?'" asked Olivia.

"Yeah. That usually happens when something out of the ordinary happens during the day that I don't consciously pick up on. Why? What did you dream about?" responded Audry.

Olivia knew better than to mention Fitz's name around Audry. Not mentioning Fitz's name is what Olivia learned she needed to do when it came to self-preservation and Audry. Instead, Olivia offered the answer that would make Audry the happiest. "I had this weird dream that I found a wedding dress, but when I went in to get it fitted it was too big. So, they had to remake it, but then it turned out blue," replied Olivia.

"See, that means you passed by a bridal boutique without realizing it and found the wedding dress that was meant for you. Where were you yesterday? So, that we can figure out which boutique you walked by," smiled Audry, enthusiastic about the concept of wedding dress shopping.

"Ah, I was in Manhattan, yesterday. But, right now, I need to get back to D.C. I've got so much work to do," countered Olivia, not wanting to talk about the wedding yet.

"When will you be back?" asked Audry.

"Oh, I think Edison said we are going to this children's hospital benefit that everyone is going to, so we have to, too. I guess I'll see you either Saturday or Sunday," responded Olivia.

"Great, I'll see you this weekend," replied Audry.


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell happened to you the other day?"

"Oh, Mellie. I've missed you, too. Come here," laughed Fitz as he pulled Mellie into his arms. Despite her pushiness, Fitz missed her. He was lonely without her for the week.

Mellie laughed and hugged Fitz back, enjoying his demeanor. He normally wasn't this way with her. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tightly to her. Mellie was going to enjoy this while it lasted.

After a moment, Mellie decided to pull away a bit. She held Fitz at arm's length and looked him over. He looked fine. He looked normal. He looked like Fitz.

"So, you going to tell me what happened to you the other day?" she asked again, wondering if Fitz would divulge information now.

"Oh, nothing to be worried about. I just got in a state of mind and I needed to relax a bit to get out of it. I did and now I'm fine," placated Fitz.

"Well, Big Gerry called me frantic, ordering me to come back to New York and check on you," countered Mellie, the suspicion that there was more to the story evident in her eye.

"Big Gerry just overreacted. You know how overbearing he can be at times. He always needs to be in control," said Fitz, rolling his eyes for the added effect. He was hoping Mellie would drop the subject.

"Well, you are definitely right about that one. I told him if something was really wrong, you would have told me. I called you that night, though, you didn't answer," responded Mellie.

"Yeah, I saw that. I was sleeping. I called you the next morning and you didn't answer. It doesn't matter. You're here and everything is alright. You can clearly see that for yourself," replied Fitz, clearly wanting to end the conversation.

Mellie just nodded and decided it was best she stop. She could see Fitz was getting fed up with the conversation and she wasn't in the mood for the silent treatment that was customary when Fitz felt like she crossed the line. Mellie grabbed Fitz's hand and laced her fingers through it. "Let's go pickup my luggage and I can tell you all about the wedding planning," smiled Mellie, hoping her change in topic would be enough to restore Fitz's good mood from earlier.

Fitz just smiled and nodded, following Mellie to the baggage claim area.

"Edison, it's alright. I understand," responded Olivia. She didn't mind that Edison wasn't going to meet her tonight in New York as was planned. He had work to do in Rhode Island and they only had dinner planned for this evening. It really didn't bother Olivia.

"Why don't you just come on over to Providence. I'll pick you up and we can drive over together to New York in the morning," suggested Edison, not wanting to completely let the night go to waste.

"I've already made a long compute today, I don't want to travel anymore. It's alright. Really. I promise. Just go work, because tomorrow night, you're all mine," responded Olivia, hoping that would ease Edison's guilt.

"Now, that I can promise," smiled Edison. "Listen Liv, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye," replied Olivia and hung up the phone. She was now free for the evening. Despite still having a mountain of paperwork to do, Olivia decided to let herself give into a little daydreaming. She had been indulging herself in this since she slept over at her mother's earlier in the week.

Olivia sat back on the couch of the hotel room she was staying at, not wanting to stay over at Audry's with Edison, despite Audry's open invitation for Edison. She didn't think it would be wise, either, to tell Audry she was in town until the next day, when she had the excuse of getting ready for the gala. That way, she wouldn't have to deal with Audry until Sunday. One day was bearable, anything more became too much.

Olivia cuddled up on the couch with a blanket, ordered room service because she was too lazy to get out again, and settled on her favorite memory. She just stared off into space, watching Fitz he held her hand as they went shopping to get her clothes while she was in Santa Barbara. Fitz making sure they bought every single little thing she needed. Him dotting on her. _"I take care of what's mine."_ One of her beloved quotes.

As Olivia kept dreaming, a genuine smile spread on her face. It had been a long time since one of those graced her features.

"Mellie, lets go," called Fitz as he started putting on his coat. The limo had been waiting for them for fifteen minutes already and Fitz felt like a jerk. He hated making people wait.

"I'm coming," replied Mellie as she walked down the corridor to the front hallway. She twirled around, so Fitz could take a good look at her dress. "Eat your heart out, baby," she teased.

"Wow, Mel. Good job," smiled Fitz, as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. He quickly helped her put her coat on and ushered her out the door.

Olivia was waiting for Edison to finish getting dressed. He had gotten in late, and now was scrambling to get ready in time.

"Liv, smart thinking to stay the hotel were the gala is being held at," uttered Edison as he finished tying his tie.

"Ah, well, what can I say. After going to a million of these, you learn a thing or two," sassed Olivia, holding Edison's jacket so that they could finish.

"Baby, you look beautiful tonight. But, my god, how can you stand in those shoes?" responded Edison, trying to figure out how Olivia was going to last the whole night in six inch stilettos.

"Ah, well eventually, I'm going start leaning against you, followed by hooking my arm through your arm, you know, to use you like a cane. Finally, I'll probably make you carry me back to our room while I hold said shoes," laughed Olivia.

"Any chance to get you into my arms, I'll take," smiled Edison as he leaned down to sneak a kiss before they got into the elevator.

Olivia backed away, not wanting Edison to ruin her makeup before they even got down to the gala. "Save those for later, you'll smudge my makeup," released Olivia.

"Can I at least hold your hand?" laughed Edison.

"Only if you promise no sweaty palms," giggled Olivia right back. Edison quickly grabbed her hand, squeezing in his own, prompting Olivia to giggle harder.

Edison leaned over to nuzzle Olivia's neck, needing contact with her. At times, he wondered how he got so lucky with her.

Gala…

Mellie and Fitz had been mingling for an hour already. Fitz was still nursing his bourbon, while Mellie dazzled everyone. He just sat back and watched. It was amazing to see how someone so smart could make so much meaningless conversation. He looked down at his drink and was sad for a moment. How could Mellie want to leave her job that she was so good at, for this? To be hanging off his arm as if she wasn't capable of more. It made him miss the old Mellie.

Mellie used to take him out with her coworkers and they all would gather around and crack jokes on how inept others were at their jobs. She would point out what actually needed to be done, solving a problem in moments that had taken others weeks to figure out. Now, all she did was talk about him. As if nothing in the world mattered more to her than him.

Fitz knew he was lucky to have her. He knew he should be flattered that she was willing to give up part of herself for him, but instead, he felt disappointed. Mellie shouldn't have to be someone she wasn't just to be with him. She shouldn't be revolving her world around his, when she once had everything revolve around her. It was a waste. That's what left a bitter taste in Fitz's mouth. The waste of talent and potential Mellie was allowing herself to become.

Fitz downed the rest of his drink, looking for a reason to get away for a moment. He made his excuses and left to get them fresh drinks. When he came back, he handed Mellie her drink, without looking to see who she was talking to now. She smoothly pulled him into her conversation.

"Oh, look, here's my fiancé," smiled Mellie, directing Fitz's attention, "Fitz, this is Senator Edison Davis and his fiancé Olivia Pope."

Fitz couldn't believe his eyes. Edison Davis was holding his hand out, waiting for a friendly handshake, while Olivia was looking at him as though she had seen a ghost.

"Fitz, you remember Olivia, don't you? She was with me one time, at your lacrosse practice," reminded Mellie.


	6. Chapter 6

Fitz quickly composed himself, knowing better than to betray his inner emotions at the moment. Smoothly, he smiled at Edison shaking his hand, responding with, "It's been a long time. Good to see you again. Mellie, don't you remember, Edison went to college with us."

Edison was happy that Fitz remembered him. Everyone at Harvard knew who Fitz was, but it was nice to know Fitz remembered him.

"Oh, Fitz, you're right. I'm sorry Edison. I've just got so much on my mind with the wedding, I can't keep it all straight," laughed Mellie, trying to bypass her blunder.

"Olivia, nice to see you as well tonight," said Fitz as he looked over at her direction, but not meeting her gaze. He knew it would be way to telling if he ignored her, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Olivia just smiled and nodded in response, not knowing what else to do. Her mouth could not form at words at the moment.

"Well, sorry to cut it short, but I think they are about to start dinner. We need to get to our table. It was nice seeing you both again," said Fitz.

They all smiled at each other again. Fitz wrapped his arm around Mellie's waist to lead them to the table. They were sitting at the mayor's table, the most prestigious one of the evening.

"Wow. Liv, can you believe he remembered me after all those years?" gushed Edison, happy how the encounter went. Edison wasn't a fool. He knew that Liv and Fitz used to date, but after seeing how they both just interacted, one would never think it. To be honest, he was dreading the moment when they would encounter an ex. The awkward situation, the possible bubbling up of old feelings. Now, after seeing how smoothly it went, Edison was as confident as ever that he and Olivia could weather any storm.

"Come on now, Edison. You are a SENATOR. What does it matter if someone from college remembers you or not? You are a major player in this country," countered Olivia. She still had not gotten over seeing Fitz, but she damn sure as hell was not in the mood for Edison to start singing his praises.

"I know I'm a senator, but let me have a moment. In college, he was the IT guy. You know this. Let me live in a glory day moment," laughed Edison. "I think he works for McNamara's office now. Look where he's sitting."

Olivia was surprised by this revelation. She had always believed that Fitz had become the doctor he was wanted to be. "Is Fitz a doctor?" asked Olivia, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"What? A doctor? No. He works over at McNamara's office. I believe he's part of the good counsel," responded Edison.

"Good counsel?" asked Olivia. She knew her way around lawyer lingo, but nothing was connecting correctly at the moment.

"Liv, you okay? He's in charge of making sure everything McNamara does is actually legal," replied Edison, giving Olivia a deadpan expression.

"He's a lawyer?" responded Olivia, not being able to make the connection. Her heart was about to burst. What the hell happened to Fitz? She couldn't believe it.

"Yes. For someone in your business, I'm surprised you didn't know. Hell, even I know that. He published a string of articles about Constitutional laws and public policies. I actually had to read his dissertation on the effects of healthcare on public policy and the influence of third party partisanship in law school. I think it was from when he was at Oxford," exclaimed Edison, not believing how Olivia could be in the dark about Fitz. Even if you didn't know anything about New York politics, his articles had been published numerous times in many different economic, political, and educational venues. Edison couldn't lie that Fitz was a talented scholar.

"Really?" asked Olivia, shocked by the information. She couldn't believe she had such blinders on.

"I think you've been too busy focusing on your work to read anything that wasn't a brief," laughed Edison as he finished off his drink. "Let's go inside and get to our table. I want to see who we are sitting with."

Olivia followed Edison to their table and put her mask back on. She regained her composure and played the part of a devoted fiancé to the great Senator Davis of Rhode Island.

…

"May I get anyone a drink before dinner is served?" asked the waitress assigned to their table.

"I'll take a scotch," responded Fitz, as he waved the girl over. "Better yet, make it a double. Neat."

"Honey, are you sure? I don't think scotch will go well with our dinner. I think, we're having duck," responded Mellie. The flares went off in her head. Scotch meant there was a storm a brewing.

"Nonsense, scotch goes good with everything," cheered Mayor McNamara. "I'll have the same."

"Anything for anyone else at the table?" asked the waitress. The rest of the men fell in line and all ordered the same as drink.

Dinner passed smoothly, without event. Mellie dazzled the table as Fitz smiled and nodded, playing the part of a dotting fiancé. He knew they were under a microscope and Mellie was putting on a show of a lifetime. They needed everyone at the table to like Mellie and therefore be further in support of Fitz's political future. What Fitz couldn't help doing, though, was keep looking for Olivia. He made sure to know where she was at all times for the rest of the evening.

The pain of seeing her here, with Edison, was only dulled a little, through copious amounts of scotch. Fitz kept drinking, feeling his aching heart soothed a tiny bit with every sip. But, when he would catch Olivia dancing in Edison's arms, leaning in to listen to whatever he was whispering into her ear, or smile at him, Fitz's heart would shatter. There was no escaping it.

Mellie watched silently as Fitz fell further and further from reach. Though, he looked like he was having a great time, keeping up appearances with her, laughing, smiling, all the while hiding the pain that he was in. Everyone seemed to be oblivious to what was really going on with Fitz.

Finally, Mellie reached the point where she couldn't handle seeing Fitz like this anymore. He needed to slowdown on the scotch.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I need my fiancé back for a moment," smiled Mellie, pulling Fitz away from the group.

Fitz gave a smirk and dutifully followed Mellie. When they were far enough away from everyone overhearing them, Mellie let it rip.

"What's the matter with you? You're drinking like its rush night at the frat house. What's going on?" shot Mellie.

"We didn't drink scotch on rush night, it was beer. Nothing is going on. I'm just trying to have a good time," answered Fitz, not in the mood for Mellie's meddling.

"You only drink scotch when some thing is wrong. What's wrong?" continued Mellie.

"Nothing is wrong. I felt like drinking scotch," replied Fitz. He was not about to spill his guts to Mellie and tell her seeing Olivia is throwing him for a loop.

"Try telling that to someone who hasn't known you as long as I have. You were drinking bourbon earlier and you were fine. Now, they can't refill your glass fast enough. You're going to start getting sloppy soon," said Mellie, her worry evident. She did not work as hard as she did this evening, building up Fitz's appearance for him to ruin it with scotch.

"I can handle my liquor. Relax. I'm nowhere near sloppy yet. And, since you know me so well, you know exactly when that is. Keep an eye out so I don't get there. Okay?" shot Fitz.

"You seriously need to go get some air, right now. I'm not your mother and I'm not your babysitter. I don't need to put up with your shit. But, I'm sure as hell not going to let you make a fool out of me because you have emotional issues, and feel like drowning them with alcohol. Go get yourself cleaned up. You're not drinking anymore scotch tonight," spat Mellie. She ran her fingers across his cheek so it looked like she was giving him a sweet gesture and smiled at him. Keeping up appearances no matter what circumstances.

Fitz followed Mellie's orders and decided to go clean himself up. As he left the grand room, Fitz noticed Olivia leaving by herself as well. He followed her, seeing her go into the lady's washroom alone. He checked to see if the coast was clear, and then followed in behind her. Fitz locked the door and when he turned around, he was met with the large brown doe-like eyes that have haunted him for longer than he could remember.

Olivia looked at Fitz. She couldn't believe it. She had tried so hard to ignore him all evening, making sure to stick close to Edison's side, hoping to make enough small conversation to ignore the fact that Fitz was in the same room as her. Olivia kept a tab on him the whole night. She knew at all times where he was situated, who he was talking to, what he was doing. Once, she even got close enough to a get a good look at him, while she was ordering a drink, she saw his eyes – they looked dull, despite the smile that was plastered on his face.

Now, with him standing in front of her, her heart was close to beating out of her chest. Even though she had been daydreaming about him all week, she never expected to see him there, or anywhere for that matter. There was a strange electricity building between them. An excitement that both could almost taste. Fitz was looking at her so hard right then, she couldn't move.

Finally, Fitz broke the silence. "Olivia," he said, as though her name was a prayer.

The sound of her name off his lips was as though the angels were calling from above. Nothing had ever sounded to beautiful to Olivia's ears. Hearing his voice again cracked the wall she had been building around herself since the moment she saw him.

As Fitz kept looking at Olivia, the fire inside him was building every moment. His eyes took her in, feasting on the sight before them. She looked so beautiful. Her hair slicked straight, makeup dramatic, wearing a long black strapless with a few diamond accents. He couldn't believe how one dress could make someone look so beautiful. It was conservative except for the thigh-high slit that showed every time she took a step. He would get a glimpse of the beautiful toned thigh that once belonged to him. It was flexed, too, from the impossible sky high heels she was wearing. She really was a vision.

Fitz couldn't stay away from her any longer, he walked towards her and grabbed, pulling her into his arms, hugging her to him as closely as possible. "God, do you know long I've waited to see you again," painfully whispered Fitz.

Olivia gasped, feeling as though she had been drowning and now her lungs were filling with air. She wrapped her arms around him, returning his hug, holding on to him as tightly as he was to her. A sob escaped her; she could no longer hold herself together.

"God, I never thought I would ever see you again," she cried out. She couldn't stop whispering his name, "Fitz, Fitz," every time her hand moved to up and down his back, needing to touch him over and over again, trying to make sure he was real.

Fitz pulled away a little bit, needing to see her face. Needing to look into her eyes and see if she was feeling everything he was.

When their eyes met, both couldn't believe what each saw in the other. Love. Their love. Also, though, pain. Intense soul-shattering pain. Neither knew which moved first, but Olivia and Fitz started kissing. It was frantic at first, both of them grinding their mouths into each other, not being able to control their need to feel one another's lips. They couldn't pull apart, though. They just kept grinding their lips against each other's.

Olivia kept running her fingers through Fitz's hair, enjoying the feel of his curls in between them. It had been so long. Too long. Longer than it should have ever been. Fitz kept running his hands up and down her back, then along her shoulders, feeling the silky skin exposed there. After a while he couldn't take it anymore and lifted her up, and placed her on the counter. She opened up her legs wide for him to get closer to her. Fitz's fingers immediately went down to the thigh that was now close enough to touch. He moved his fingers underneath the fabric of her dress and moaned into her mouth. Olivia lifted up her hips, wanting him to touch more of her. Fitz took the opportunity to push the dress higher so that he could have more access to her.

Their lips didn't stop touching, not even for a second. Neither of them was thinking anymore. They had gone straight to autopilot. All of a sudden, Fitz ripped away Olivia's panties, sinking in two fingers into her wet, hot heat. Olivia moaned into Fitz's mouth, while bucking up to meet his thrusting fingers. Her hands moved down to his belt and quickly undid it. She lowered the zipper and grabbed onto his stiff member. It felt so big in her hand. To be honest, she had forgotten just how big Fitz was. He, now, felt heavy and huge in her hand.

Olivia pulled him out of his dress pants and started bringing him closer to her heat. He needed to be inside her. She needed to feel him inside her.

Finally, not being able to pull Fitz any closer, since his hand inside her was in the way, Olivia pulled her mouth away and gasped, "I need you inside me. Please."

Fitz removed his hand from her wet warmth and slipped into Olivia's tight, wet pussy. She felt so tight; Fitz couldn't believe it. Like a damn glove. Olivia thrust her hips up to meet him, wanting him in deeper.

Both gasped at the feeling of their connection. Fitz's mouth attached to her neck, licking and kissing the long beautiful graceful column. The skin there smelled so good and tasted so sweet. Olivia laced her fingers through his hair again, needing to do something with her hands and needing to feel those curls. She kept pressing him into her, loving the feel of his lips on her.

Olivia was getting close and she could feel herself start to tremble around him. "Harder. Give it to me harder," she whimpered into his ear.

Fitz lifted Olivia's hips and brought her closer to him as he kept thrusting away. She was so tight; it was like she was squeezing him every time he thrust into her. Fitz's lips finally found that special spot right behind Olivia's ear. He knew it when she moaned loudly, then cried out his name. Fitz bit her gently there, then soothed it with a sweet swipe of his tongue. He kept sucking there until he felt Olivia start to climax.

Olivia felt herself started to fall over from Fitz's ministrations and so she pulled his mouth to hers and thrust up hard, lifting herself completely off the counter. She felt her release take over. It was earth shattering.

Olivia's pussy clench around him over and over again as she climaxed. Fitz couldn't handle it anymore. He thrust up into her one more time, getting in as deep as possible and climaxed. It felt amazing. In that moment, nothing felt so right.

Olivia leaned against the mirror, needing to brace herself against something because she could no longer hold herself up. Fitz followed the flow of Olivia's body, leaning against her. They stayed like that for a moment, basking in the glory of their union.


	7. Chapter 7

But the that glorious moment started to fade quickly. Reality started crashing down around them.

Fitz couldn't believe he just had sex with Olivia. All the misery of the last ten years came crashing down around him. What the hell did he just do?

"Oh my god," was all that Fitz could get out. He started to pull away from Olivia. The severity of the situation required him to break contact.

"I know," murmured Olivia. All this time, this was what she had been missing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was happy that they still could be so good together.

"Mellie," whispered Fitz. "I've got to get back to Mellie. This was a mistake. A horrible mistake."

"What?" asked Olivia, shocked by his statement. How could something so beautiful between them be a mistake?

Fitz quickly put himself back together, fixing his clothes, his hair, knowing that Mellie was probably looking for him at this point. How could he have been so irrational? He couldn't believe it. Finally, when everything was back and in place and Olivia's lipstick was effectively washed off his face, Fitz turned to face Olivia. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened here. I never got the closure I needed from the way things ended with us. I have a fiancé who I love and a life I'm trying to build here. This. What happened just now – between us - was a huge mistake. I let my emotions get in the way. But, it should have never happened. It was nice seeing you Olivia, I hope you and Edison have a wonderful life together," replied Fitz.

With that, Fitz unlocked the bathroom door and left. Olivia couldn't believe what he just said to her. She became furious with him. What transpired between them was not a closure fuck in a bathroom. And it definitely was not a mistake. Though, Olivia should have felt bad for doing this to Edison, all she kept thinking was that Fitz was hers. Screw Mellie and the excuse that she was his fiancé. If Fitz had loved Mellie so much, why did he follow her and make love to her just now.

Olivia realized that she really had been gone a long time, but she couldn't go back to the gala. She decided to go back to her room, and text Edison from there that something came up. There was no way she could back to Edison, smelling like Fitz, and especially right after being with Fitz. She needed to clean up. Olivia finally got down from the counter and looked around for her thong. Fitz had ripped it off her, but it was nowhere to be seen. Then she realized, he must have taken it with him. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

…

"Fitz, where the hell have you been?" angrily questioned Mellie.

"I went for air and then I had some business I needed to take care of," calmly answered Fitz. Fitz turned to the bartender and ordered, "Double scotch, neat."

"Are you serious right now? I thought I told you no more scotch tonight," shot Mellie, getting angrier and angrier by the moment at Fitz's behavior. Like an eerie sort of calm that had come over him. It was unsettling. The pain that had been so apparent in Fitz's eyes was gone, but now. Now, it seemed as though there was something worse - anger.

"Relax. I've completely sobered up. I need something to help get through the rest of the night with," declared Fitz. He was not in the mood for Mellie. If it was up to him, he'd be leaving right then, but he knew that wasn't an option.

The bartender handed Fitz's his drink and Fitz immediately downed it without a moment's hesitation. "Another," requested Fitz.

"Really? Fitzgerald, another?" spit Mellie. There was something definitely going on with Fitz and he needed to tell her now. "What the hell happened? Tell me what's going on with you right now."

"Nothing is going on. I'm having a drink while talking to my fiancé. Stop getting all worked up because you are starting to make a scene," responded Fitz.

"You've already made a scene enough for the both of us with your drinking," lashed out Mellie.

The bartender brought Fitz his drink, and Fitz downed it again. "Another." The bartender nodded and went back to get Fitz another. Finally, Fitz turned back to Mellie. "Let's get something crystal clear. I'm not a child. You are not my mother. You are not my babysitter. So, you most definitely are NOT going to sit here and tell me when I have had enough to drink," spoke Fitz with finality.

"I will tell you whatever is necessary to make sure you don't let yourself go to waste. You've accomplished so many amazing things and then here you go with the alcohol. Many a great men have come undone by it, I won't let you become like them," countered Mellie, heaving from frustration. "But you know what I am, first and foremost, before everything?"

"What?" spat Fitz.

"I'm your friend, you fool. I was there for you at your worst. WITH THE SCOTCH. Miserable. Depressed. That changed the way I looked at you, I didn't let that version of you define who you were to me. I knew better. I knew the real Fitz, not the sad drunk depressed one. That's why I fought so hard for you back then, and that's why I'm fighting for you now. I've given up everything to become your wife, I won't let my husband fall into the abyss," professed Mellie. "I'm never going to give up on you. So STOP GIVING UP ON YOURSELF and deal with whatever is wrong – WITHOUT scotch."

"Mellie, I love you," was all that Fitz could say after hearing Mellie's declaration. It snapped him back into the present. All evening, since the moment he lay eyes on Olivia, Fitz was transported back to that twenty-two year old boy who lost the love of his life without any say. All those feelings from back then bubbled up and he let them consume him. Now, in the present, Mellie reminded him he wasn't that guy any more. Intense guilt washed over him. Shame from his encounter with Olivia came. He grabbed Mellie and hugged her close to him. "I'm so sorry. You're right. Can we go home? I don't want to be here any longer."

Mellie didn't know what to say. She was surprised she actually got through to him. If he wanted to leave, then they would. "Okay. Let's just go say goodbye to everyone and leave," complied Mellie.

They walked back over to the group, announcing that they were leaving. Everyone wanted Fitz to stay and keep drinking, since they were all having a good time. Mellie was ecstatic by the their invitation. It meant her plan worked. Mellie left knowing they were on the road to success.

Fitz stayed silent all through their ride home. The longer he mulled over Mellie's words, the worse and worse he felt about what he did with Olivia. It had felt so right in the moment, but now, not he wished he never lay eyes on Olivia Pope. Things were going to well for him. He had a great job, an amazing fiancé, and was on the road to greatness. He threw that all away for a moment of heaven with Olivia.

When they got back to their apartment, Mellie finally broke the silence. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Listen, I'm going to go take a shower. I'm not feeling to well," replied Fitz. He no longer could even look at Mellie from the guilt and shame he felt.

As he stood under the hot water, all Fitz could think about was how good it felt to be with Olivia again. How sweet her mouth tasted. How tight she felt around him. Then, the shame crept in. How could he have acted so irrationally? Mellie had been there for him and he repaid her love and patience by cheating on her. He turned the dial for the water to get hotter, hoping he could wash away his sin. Finally, when the water started running cold, Fitz got out of the shower. He brushed his teeth hoping the taste of Olivia would leave his mouth. When he finally got to bed, Mellie was waiting for him. He still couldn't face her. Fitz just got in and turned away, closing his eyes, hoping sleep would find him.

"Fitz?" asked Mellie, wanting to check to see if he was alright. She cuddled up behind him, wanting him to turn to face her, so that she could see for herself if he was okay.

"Mel, I'm really not feeling well. Can you give me some space? You know how I don't like to be touched," responded Fitz.

"Okay," replied Mellie, rolling over to the other side of their king size bed. "Good night, I love you. I'm here if you need me."

"Good night, Mellie. I love you, too," choked out Fitz, as silent tears fell. 'What the hell have I done?' was all Fitz could think.


	8. Chapter 8

OP: Edison, I twisted my ankle – I went back to the room – stay at the gala & have fun

ED: OMG – Liv – you alright? I'm coming up now

OP: NO – DON'T – you know it's important you make a good impression

ED: Liv – I have to make sure you're alright

OP: I am – don't worry – I just need to ice it – I'll see you in a little while

ED: Ok

Edison finally conceded. Olivia was in the clear. She was not in the mood to deal with Edison at the moment. She needed to get out of her dress, send it down to get laundered, and take a shower. There was no way she would let Edison find out about what happened with Fitz.

Later…

"Liv? You asleep yet?" called Edison as soon as he stepped inside the room.

Olivia had purposefully did not answer. She pretended to sleep instead. She could hear Edison shuffling about, getting ready for bed. Finally, he joined her, slipping in next to her. "Baby? You awake?" continued Edison.

Olivia groaned as if she was being pulled from a deep slumber. "Edison, you're back? What's the matter?" she asked.

"Baby, you think you can… you know… you in the mood?" tentatively asked Edison. After a night of wining and dining, he had been hoping for some loving. He started to gently trail kisses the back of Olivia's ear, hoping to coax her into waking up.

"Ah, honey. My ankle is killing me. I just took some really strong painkillers. I can barely keep my eyes open. I'm so sorry," responded Olivia. She turned back away from Edison and scooted a little further away from him on the bed.

That effectively cut off any plans Edison had for the rest of the night.

The next morning, when Olivia woke up, she felt sore all over. As she tried to get out of bed, she could barely walk. 'Damn, I forgot how big Fitz was,' she thought to herself. She had to waddle in order to get from place to place. Olivia was definitely glad she thought of the sprained ankle excuse because there was no way she would be able to explain her inability to walk this morning.

Olivia tried to remain as quiet as possible and started doing her morning yoga, hoping it would help with the soreness. As she moved around, she kept thinking about Fitz. She had decided to google him and find out more about him. Since Edison's revelation of Fitz not becoming a doctor, Olivia wanted to know what had happened. Olivia had been surprised by Fitz's path. Oxford followed by U.S. Navy, where he was a pilot and even received a medal. 'A pilot?' thought Olivia to herself. He had never mentioned wanting to be a pilot or join the Navy. The further she scrolled down, she found out he ended up going to Yale Law school and was now working for the McNamara administration in New York. Fitz seemed to be a completely different person from the man she used know. When Olivia hard the jingling of the door, she quickly put away her laptop, making sure to erase her browser history in case Edison wanted to use her laptop later.

Despite having just cheated on Edison, Olivia was surprisingly nonchalant about it. She didn't feel any guilt or remorse. What Edison didn't know – wouldn't hurt him. Fitz had been her one true love and she would never feel guilty about anything that happened between them. Fitz was her's and anything else was just inconsequential.

Olivia knew this was a selfish way of thinking, but ever since the event, her mother kept forcing her to be that way. To only think in terms of herself. That no one else mattered. Olivia learned to always put herself first and not to care about anyone else because in the end… in the end she would only get hurt.

That was one of the things that drew her to Edison. He never picked up on her selfishness, because he was always so wrapped around his own feelings. He really cared about her, but didn't see any of her flaws. Edison accepted Olivia as is.

Olivia heard Edison starting to wake up. She quickly got back in the bed and waited for him to completely wake up. Olivia knew what was coming and she wanted to be ready for it.

Edison searched for Olivia's form and when he found her, he pulled her closely to him. "Hmm, good morning darling," he whispered as he nuzzled himself into the crook of her neck.

"Good morning, dear," she responded. Olivia felt his hands start to roam her body. Normally, Olivia didn't mind, but this morning, she was definitely not feeling it.

"You feeling better?" asked Edison, his hopeful inquiry clearly evident of his desire.

"Maybe… you got what's necessary?" responded Olivia.

Edison quickly got out of bed and shuffled to find his wallet. He looked inside for the condom he was sure he put in there earlier, but he couldn't find it. Edison frantically searched through all the little pockets and still no condom. He was so sure. Edison quickly went looking through his suitcase, hoping he hadn't forgotten to slip a box in there. No luck. No condom, no box of condoms, anywhere to be found. Edison groaned in frustration.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you forgot to bring condoms," responded Olivia. Secretly, Olivia had taken all the condoms Edison had brought with and hid them. She knew Edison knew better than to travel without any because there was no way Olivia was going to sleep with him without one.

"I swear Olivia, I had one in my wallet and a box in my luggage. Now, I can't seem to find any of them," whined Edison. "Do you think… maybe… just this once… we could… you know… without one?"

"No chance," stated Olivia firmly. After what happened years ago, she would never have sex without a condom. What happened with Fitz though… that was a whole 'nother story.

Edison groaned in frustration and plopped back down on the bed. "I can't believe I was so stupid," muttered Edison, angry with himself for being so inept as to forget condoms.

"Come on, relax. You'll be down in D.C. by Wednesday, it's not a big deal," tried to placate Olivia.

"I know, but still. It has been a while, Liv," whined Edison.

"I know, dear. I know, for me, too," replied Olivia.

If Olivia was being honest with herself, she really didn't have a sex drive. She hadn't had one in years, and after dating Edison for so long, she finally had given in to him. He was good, but she just wasn't into it. After a disappointing first time around, Olivia realized that she still loved Edison, but that she needed to fake it, or else she would lose him. Honestly, she was lucky to have Edison who had put up with her as much as he did, and the likelihood of finding someone as good as Edison was slim to none. So, she sucked it up and played her role, because other than that, she really had no complaints about him. How was he suppose to know she was irrevocably damaged?

Olivia got out of bed again and started shuffling through her suitcase. They would need to leave in an hour and Olivia wanted to get ready for the day. Edison stayed in a bed a while longer, watching her move about.

"Olivia, you have no idea how beautiful you look. The way the sun hits your skin, you look like an angel," confessed Edison. He was so in love with Olivia.

"You're just saying that cause you haven't seen me in a while. Wait till we get married and you're met with my grouchiness and messed up hair. I promise you probably won't see me as an angel," laughed Olivia.

"I highly doubt that. But, I definitely looked forward to that day," dreamily responded Edison.

Edison and Olivia checked out and decided the spend the rest of the day visiting with Audry. Audry was ecstatic at seeing Edison and put on her best persona. As it became later and later in the day, Olivia started gearing up to get on the train and head back to D.C.

Olivia and Edison shared a taxi to the train station. Edison's train was leaving for Providence before hers, so they decided to wait together. Olivia kissed Edison passionately before he left, feeling bad for lying to him earlier. After seeing him deal with Audry the whole day, he deserved some loving.

"Aw, Liv. Why did you have to kiss me like that right before I left?" whined Edison.

"To give you something to look forward to," smirked Olivia.

"I love you," declared Edison.

"I love you, too. Bye," responded Olivia as Edison got on his train.

Olivia watched the train leave the platform, waving goodbye to Edison until the train was out of sight.

Olivia stood there for a moment, deciding if she should follow through the on plan she had been formulating all day. She really didn't have to get back to D.C. tonight. All day she kept thinking about Fitz. Every sore step was reminder of the night before. She just couldn't let it go. Olivia had to see him again.

Olivia had found his cell number quite easily. It was surprising how someone's whole life was available through the push of a button. Olivia had stored the number in her phone and now decided to act on the thoughts that had been running through her mind all day.

Quickly, she pulled out her phone and decided to act while she still had the nerve. She quickly started texting without giving a second thought to what she was saying.

OP: Hey stranger, I need to see you

A text message appeared on Fitz's phone from an unknown number. He decided to answer. It wasn't uncommon for people to have his number that he wasn't aware of. Perks of being part of public office.

FG: I'm sorry – but who is this?

OP: Penelope Goodfella

Fitz dropped the phone out of shock at who was texting him. It surely couldn't be. Could it?


	9. Chapter 9

All of a sudden, Fitz's phone started to ring. It was the same number that just texted him. By the third ring, Fitz finally decided to pick up.

"Hello?" Fitz tentatively asked.

"Hi," was all Olivia said.

"Hi," repeated Fitz.

They were at a stand still. Neither knew where to proceed from there.

Finally, Olivia broke the silence.

"It's been a while…" she trailed off not knowing where to go from there.

"How did you get my number?" shot Fitz. He was starting to get angry. It had been ten years – TEN YEARS – and now she wanted to get in contact with him?

"Google. Well, Google and a few clicks here and there," replied Olivia.

"Forget you ever found it. Delete it. There is no reason for you to be calling me now," spit Fitz.

"I think what happened last night is a big reason to be calling," countered Olivia. She was starting to get angry herself. Not at Fitz though, but at herself. Olivia couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to give into her irrational thoughts.

"Last night was a mistake. There was a time for talking. That time has passed. Nothing good can come from talking," responded Fitz.

"I can't get you out of my mind," whispered Olivia.

"Well, I felt the same way for years. But, eventually, if you ignore it long enough – IT GOES AWAY," enunciated Fitz. He was trying so hard to not break down and give into his emotions.

"Fitz, I think it's finally time we talked about what happened," replied Olivia.

"There's nothing more to say. It happened a long time ago. We're different people now. I've finally got my life together. Why are you doing this to me?" whispered Fitz. He didn't want to drudge up the past.

"I'm not doing anything. But last night happened. I'm not going to lie to you and say I was okay with the way things ended. If everything had been okay, we wouldn't have done what we did," declared Olivia.

"What do you want from me? You already ripped my heart out once and I barely survived. Do you think I'm going to come around again and let you have a second go at it?" shot Fitz. Every minute that passed, though, he could feel his resistance against Olivia slipping.

"God, no," cried Olivia. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. She knew they both had been hurt by what happened but hearing say those words, that was more than she could handle. After she got a hold of herself, she realized Fitz was still on the line. She had been thinking all day about what to say to him, but now it seemed as if all those words were going to go out the door. "Listen, what happened – I never wanted any of it to be that way. You know I had no choice. I literally had no choice. If I could go back and change it – I would, but I can't. The only thing I can change is what I do from here on out. Seeing you last night, it was surreal. I can't ignore it anymore. I don't want to hurt you, I just want to talk. Is there anyway we can meet up somewhere? Finally discuss what happened. Get some closure on it all. I don't want to interfere with your life, but we need to talk about this. I don't want to run into you in another ten years and have the same thing happen again. We've both moved on, and I respect you and your life, but please. Can we just talk?"

Fitz stayed quiet for a wall, letting what Olivia just said sink in. She did have a point. But still, it was just too painful to see her. What would talking about what happened help now? There is no way to change it. Fitz was at a loss.

"Listen, you might have a point, but honestly, I don't see it. Dredging up the past will do nothing but open up old wounds. Just let it go. I don't want to see you again. That chapter in my life is finally closed and I don't need to reopen it. I'm a different person now and nothing you say is going to change anything. It is just going to cause more pain. I'm sorry, Olivia, but I can't. Please don't call me again. I wish you the best in life, but leave me the hell alone," ended Fitz with a vehemence.

Fitz hung up the phone. He then deleted the texts from Olivia and the phone call. He didn't want her number and didn't want any reminders of her. It was over.

Olivia looked down at the _call ended_ screen. She was still at the train station, standing a pillar. She slid down it, crying. The rational side of Olivia knew that Fitz had a point, but she just couldn't handle it right then.

Olivia felt so stupid. She didn't know where she got the idea that Fitz would magically want to see her after everything that happened. She must have been really delusional to honestly believe Fitz would want to see her after everything that happened.

After a while, she finally gained control of herself. She looked at her watch and realized she hadn't missed her train yet. There's definitely no place like home. Olivia decided best course of action was just to go home and revert to her normal life.

Days later…

"Abby – I slept with him," admitted Olivia over the phone.

Despite Olivia's best efforts, she couldn't get back to normal. Her every thought was consumed by Fitz. She kept having this nagging feeling in the back of her head that she needed to talk to him. Finally, she broke down and called Abby. She needed her best friend's advice on this.

"Well, I'm not that surprised. Looking at your guys's track record. What happened afterwards?" asked Abby.

"He ran away, saying it was a mistake," whispered Olivia.

"Just because you whisper, doesn't change what you said. Did you tell Edison?" continued Abby.

"Are you crazy? No, I didn't tell Edison. I called Fitz, though, the next day. I asked him to meet me so we could talk," responded Olivia.

"Oh, wow. Very grown up of you. What did he say?" replied Abby.

"He said no. To leave alone. That there's no point in talking about it now," responded Olivia.

"Ah, well. At least you tried," placated Abby.

"Abby," whined Olivia, "I want to talk to him. I want to get everything out in the open. I mean it's obviously still not over after ten years."

"Olivia, it may not be over for you, but it seems its over for him. From what I heard, he went through the ringer. Why would you want to subject to him to all that pain again? For what? So YOU can feel better? That sounds mighty selfish of you," reckoned Abby.

"No, it isn't selfish. Selfish is what we did the other night. We need to discuss it," stubbornly replied Olivia.

"No doubt what you guys did the other night was selfish, but leave the man alone. You had ten years to get in contact with him. Why badger him now?" countered Abby.

Olivia had no answer for that. She had no excuse for why she didn't contact him earlier. Olivia had tried in the beginning, but when she received no response from him, she stopped trying. Why did it matter so much now?

"You've got a point. I hate you," pouted Olivia.

"Oh, I love you, too," laughed Abby. "Listen, just give him some time. I bet he feels the same way you do. If this is so important to you, go back to New York and make him talk to you."

Abby had a point with that. Olivia decided she would give Fitz more time and if she didn't hear back from him, she would just go, find him, and make him talk.

"Thanks Big Red, I love you. You're right. I'll give him some space," complied Olivia.

"Good, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later," said Abby as she ended the call.

Olivia put the phone back down and contemplated how much time would be adequate before she went to go find Fitz. She looked at her schedule and saw that she had a meeting in Manhattan in three weeks.

Well, three weeks it was.

3 weeks later…

OP: Please meet with me

FG: NO – I thought I told you to never contact me again

OP: Since when do I ever listen?

FG: You were good for a while… I don't know what happened…

OP: Oh stop – are you busy?

FG: I'm at work… leave me alone

OP: I'm outside your work… come down for a minute

FG: Are you serious? You've got to be kidding me – How did you know where I worked?

OP: Google

FG: I'm not coming down – LEAVE

OP: Okay – I'm coming up then

FG: FINE I'm coming

OP: I'm waiting…

Olivia smiled at her phone. Maybe there still was hope.


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't have much time. Make it quick. Why are you here?" said Fitz the moment he came out of the building.

"It's nice to see you, too," smirked Olivia.

"Why are you doing this Olivia? Why now?" shot Fitz.

"Late is better than never," responded Olivia. She refused to allow herself to be deterred by Fitz's attitude. She just needed to keep telling herself that.

"So, what is it that you need to say that is so important now?" replied Fitz. He was really try to calm himself down. Olivia's stubbornness was getting to him.

"It's not something that can be discussed like this. Come on, let's go somewhere quiet. I'll buy you a drink," offered Olivia.

"I don't need a drink, Olivia, I need you to leave me alone," emphasized Fitz.

"Come on. It's already five, technically the work day is over. Come on. Don't fight this, cause I'm not going to stop," countered Olivia.

Fitz looked at his watch and decided despite the mountain of work he still needed to do, he was better off dealing with Olivia now rather than later. "Fine. Listen, let me close up shop and I'll come and meet you. Okay?" relented Fitz.

"Deal. But, you better not blow me off – I know where you live and I have no qualms about coming and finding you," shot Olivia.

"Relax. Text me where you're at and I'll be there. But, please, pick some place discrete. I don't want to have a scandal happen from being scene with you," relented Fitz. He had been working in McNamara's office long enough to know that there were eyes and ears all over the city. Despite the fact that he was doing nothing wrong, Fitz didn't want to make an already bad situation worse.

"I work for a P.R. & Crisis Management company in D.C., no one will think it's a big deal," countered Olivia.

"Even worse," groaned Fitz, "If someone sees us they'll think McNamara did something wrong and I'm bringing in someone from D.C. to come and fix it. Fuck, Olivia. Why are you doing this to me? Do you really want to ruin my life here as well?"

"Fitz, despite your constant negative thinking, I'm risking a lot by coming here and finding you. I'm engaged to a SENATOR from a neighboring state. If word gets out I was in New York, without his knowledge, being seen with you, then I'll be in trouble just as well," responded Olivia. She was really starting to get frustrated with Fitz.

"Then, what do you propose we do?" asked Fitz.

"Well, do you want to just meet at your place? No one will see us there," offered Olivia as a solution.

"Yeah, no one will see us EXCEPT MY FIANCEE WITH WHOM I LIVE WITH. You are not coming into my home. Pick another place," replied Fitz.

"GOD. You're being difficult. How about that small café on the Upper West side, the Café Boneaux?" suggested Olivia.

"I'm not being seen with you in the Upper West side, Olivia," retorted Fitz.

"You're being a little much, don't you think? Where do you want to meet? Brooklyn?" countered Olivia.

"The FUCK I am ever stepping foot in Brooklyn again. You know what – this is just a bad idea. You came, we talked, we're done. I'm done. You wasted enough of my time," cut Fitz, "I'm leaving. Don't bother me again."

"That's not going to happen. I'm not going to do this with you. You and I are going to talk, whether or not you want. You pick a place then," responded Olivia.

"How about the Krispy Kreme on the Lower West Side?" offered Fitz.

"You want to meet me in a donut shop? I don't even think they have any place to sit," replied Olivia.

"Perfect, it'll make it quick. Plus, I hate donuts so no one would ever think to see me there," smirked Fitz.

"Genius, that's across the street from the Equinox gym that probably everyone in your office goes too cause they can't afford living on the Upper East Side," countered Olivia.

"You know what, just let me go upstairs and take care of things. I'll get into contact with you later on in the evening once I have everything figured out," resolved Fitz.

"Fine," huffed Olivia. She was miffed that they hadn't figured out where to meet, but glad they at least got over the hurtle of agreeing to meet.

Fitz went back inside the building without another word or look back. He wished Olivia would stop badgering him. How come it was alright for her to come and disrupt his life and yet when it was time to talk all those years ago, she never responded to him?

There were people still in the office, but the numbers had started to dwindle. Fitz was surprised he had spent so much time downstairs with Olivia. He decided to call Mellie and check to see if she was at home.

Finally, after the fourth ring, Mellie answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, dear," replied Fitz.

"What's going on? What's the matter?" asked Mellie.

"Why does something have to be going on for me to call you?" retorted Fitz.

"Because you're a workaholic and you wouldn't be calling me before seven if something wasn't wrong," replied Mellie.

"I forget how well you know me," smiled Fitz, "Luckily, though, nothing is wrong. I might have business to take care of that tonight, that's why. I was calling to see if you had made plans for us this evening."

"Oh, did I not tell you? I'm not in New York. I went home to North Carolina. I have an appointment in Raleigh tomorrow. It's for the engagement party," responded Mellie.

"You're not at home?" replied Fitz. He started to freak out. Mellie was his anchor. What excuse would he have now to help him combat Olivia? "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I did. I told you last night. I kissed you goodbye before you left for work. Where's your head been?" retorted Mellie.

"I'm sorry. I've just been really busy at work. Oh, Mellie. I miss you. I wish you hadn't left," confessed Fitz.

Mellie was surprised by Fitz's words. It wasn't often that Fitz said such sweet things. Mellie let herself enjoy the moment, but then quickly shut it down. Her and Fitz's relationship was not built on love, but on history, understanding, and mutual respect. Normally, when they talked, it was generalities, never really much emotion or feeling. Lately, though, Fitz had been needy. Mellie was not going to lie, she kinda liked it. It was nice to have someone genuinely care about you. It definitely was not something she was used to, especially from Fitz. It was like they were really good friends who ended up getting engaged. Never earth-shattering soul-binding love.

Mellie was starting to ease the barrier that she had around her heart. Maybe Fitz really did love her. It was a thought Mellie played with for a moment, and then ripped away from herself. She wasn't going to let herself get hurt. Letting her guard down and really loving Fitz was a path that would lead to pain. Mellie knew Fitz was damaged from the moment she lay eyes on him in Oxford. She wasn't stupid, she knew it was broken heart that did this to Fitz. But, she still didn't know who it was who done it. Mark her words though, when she found out, she would make them pay.

After quickly collecting herself from the emotional response Fitz's sweet words had on her, Mellie responded. "I know dear that you are busy with work, that's why my feelings aren't hurt that you didn't remember I left. I'll be back in a few days. There's no reason to be sad. Soon enough, we'll be married and you'll be sick of me, you'll wish I had some place other than with you to be." Basically, Mellie's version of a round bout way of saying buck up.

"Okay, Mellie," Fitz sadly replied. He wish sometimes she wasn't so logical. At first, her lack of sentiment is something that he really liked. Like nothing could hurt her, like she was invincible. Now, he wished she was little bit warmer. Either way, Mellie was Mellie, and she was his. Fitz had to keep remembering that. He had someone who had always been there.

"Cheer up," responded Mellie, starting to really feel bad about leaving him.

"I'll try. Bye," said Fitz.

"Bye. I love you," replied Mellie, trying to salvage the situation.

"I love you, too," repeated Fitz and hung up.

Mellie looked at her phone and had a terrible feeling. She hoped that when she got back to New York, everything was as she left it.

Fitz decided since Mellie was out of town, the best place to meet with Olivia would be his home. This way, he could bring up through the service entrance and no one would ever be the wiser. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and texted Olivia.

FG: Okay, I found a place for us to meet

OP: Great, where?

FG: My place – do you need the address?

OP: Nope – Google

FG: I hate Google – come from the service entrance

OP: WTF – why?

FG: So no one will see you

OP: Fine

FG: Text me when you're here and I'll come down – REMEMBER SERVICE ENTRANCE

OP: I got it – STOP TEXTING IN CAPITAL LETTERS

Fitz wanted to respond but that's exactly what she wanted. Banter. To play games. Fitz was no longer playing games with Olivia Pope. He through his phone on the bed and went a shower so he could regroup.

When he finally came out of the shower, he checked his phone and saw he had five missed texts from Olivia. It seemed she was there. He quickly put on some sweats and went down to get her from the service entrance.

When he opened the door he she was standing there in the same outfit from earlier and a brown paper bag.

"Hi," was all Olivia said.

"Hi," repeated Fitz, not wanting to talk to her more than necessary.

Olivia followed Fitz up the back way to his apartment. She was surprised he didn't live in a nicer building. This one was nice, by all means, but it seemed small compared to the one she had been in when they had been together.

Fitz unlocked the door and went through, not caring about manners. Olivia walked in and looked around. This was not at all what she was expecting.

"This place is kind of small," Olivia commented.

"Well, it was the best I could afford on a public servant salary. I like it," responded Fitz.

"You paid for this? Big Gerry didn't dole out the Big Bucks," laughed Olivia.

"No," shot Fitz, "It's called growing up Olivia. A man at one point in his life needs to man up and earn his own way, not live off others."

That shut down Olivia alright. She felt embarrassed for making such a comment now. Bashfully, she admitted defeat with an, "I'm sorry."

"Let's not further discuss my current standing. What did you want to talk about?" responded Fitz.

"I want to talk about how I almost died ten years ago and you never came around to check on me," spit Olivia.

"What the hell are you talking about?"


	11. Chapter 11

"What am I talking about? Fitz, what do you think happened between us?" countered Olivia.

"Olivia, really? You're going to ask me that now?" retorted Fitz, not being able to believe her audacity at the moment.

"Fitz, I had an ectopic pregnancy and was rushed into surgery. I was in the hospital for two weeks in the ICU. Mind you, I was at Mass Gen – YOUR HOSPITAL. I kept asking for you and they kept saying you never came. I almost died. After I got out, I kept trying to get into contact with you. I needed you. I wanted you by my side. You remember how we used to be. My mom locked me away in a psych ward for the remainder of the semester until I stopped asking for you and gave up all together. They put me on meds to regulate my moods and behavior. After finally being released, I couldn't ever think of you the same way again," painfully admitted Olivia. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at the gut-retching rendition of how they ended.

Fitz was in complete and total utter shock. He knew that Olivia had an ectopic pregnancy. He went back to Boston as soon as he found out. Stavroula had called him as soon as she saw Olivia's name on the patient list for the ICU. Obviously, Olivia couldn't call him. Fitz had flown over immediately from London and went straight the hospital. By then, there was already a restriction on visitors for Olivia. They had denied him access to Olivia. Audry had put that in place and since Olivia wasn't cognitive, there was no way to stop it. Fitz even went so far as to dress up in his old scrubs and sneaked into Olivia's room to check on her. She was unconscious, and despite his best coaxing, Fitz couldn't get her to wake up. He left her a little note, saying he would be back the next night, hoping she would eventually wake up to read it, but instead when he went back the next night, there were two officers there, ready to arrest him. Audry had him thrown in jail and even got a restraining order on him to keep him away from Olivia.

"Oh my god," was all Fitz could get out at that moment. Tears were streaming down his face as well, but silently. He kept trying to get a hold on himself, but just couldn't. He even wanted to go and comfort Olivia, but his body wouldn't let him move. Finally, he regained the ability to speak. Fitz needed to tell Olivia the truth.

"I came Olivia. I came as soon as I found out. Stavroula was the doctor in the ICU the night you were transferred there after surgery. As soon as she saw your name on the patient list, she called me. I came immediately. By the time I got there, your mom had restricted your visitors. No one was allowed to see you. They won't let me up. So, I dressed in some of my old scrubs and had Stavroula sneak me in. I came to see you in the middle of the night, but you wouldn't wake up. I even left you a little note in her hand, so when you woke up, you'd know I had been there and that I was coming back for you. In the mean time, I read your chart and found out what happened. When I came back the next night as promised, your mom was there with two police officers and a restraining order. They threw me in jail Olivia. My dad had to come and bail me out," responded Fitz. The look of shock and horror on Olivia's face was all the evidence Fitz needed to know that she really hadn't known any of this.

"But even then, that didn't stop me. I had Stavroula call me every day with updates on you, and when they released you, they said you were going back to New York. I went back there to try and see you now that you were awake and conscious. I knocked on your door and your mother called the police again and this time pressed charges against me. She wouldn't let me see you. After that, I freaked out. I knew I had lost you. I couldn't handle it. I tried calling you and emailing you, trying some way to get into contact with you, but the line kept saying it wasn't in service any more and no email back. I spiraled Olivia. I spiraled bad. I drank so much my father had to come and pick me up from the drunk tank. I couldn't leave my bed. I couldn't sleep. Finally, my dad got threw to me and sent me back to England. He said I needed to focus on my scholarship to try and get over you. He paid an attorney and got your mother's charges thrown out. But still. I was no longer a person without. My heart had been ripped out of my chest. I was a shell of human being for a really long time," confessed Fitz.

By this time, Olivia was just completely sobbing. They had moved to sit on the couch at the beginning of their revelations, but now, now Olivia was on the floor sobbing. Her face was buried in one of throw pillows, masking the screams of pain when Fitz's words were too much for her to hear. She couldn't believe it. All this time. All this time he had come and her mother had prevented them from being together.

"Fitz, I am so sorry. All that time I was waiting for you, you had been there. I'm so sorry for what my mother did to us. I am so sorry," cried Olivia. Fitz grabbed her and hugged her close to him. It just made Olivia cry even harder. Ten years. Ten years she had been waiting to be enveloped back into the arms that had been her safe haven. Her body shook from the sobs that were escaping her.

Olivia wasn't just crying for herself, she was crying for Fitz, too, and all the time they lost together. Her mother truly had ruined her life and Fitz's for nothing. "I'm sorry," was all Olivia could say and kept repeating it over and over.

Fitz was shedding tears of his own while hugging Olivia close to him. He couldn't make a sound but just kept holding Olivia as close to himself as possible. Fitz kept rubbing her back, hoping that the motion would soothe her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours crying, they both stopped. Neither though, knew where to proceed from there. Fitz decided to break the ice. "So, do you maybe want something to eat?" he asked.

"I want to eat myself into a food coma, fall asleep, and wake up to it being ten years earlier," cracked Olivia, trying to bring up her mood.

"I'm definitely with you on wishing it was ten years earlier. Honestly, you have no idea how much you meant to me. How much what happened impacted me to the very core," whispered Fitz, not being able to handle the realization of the person he was at the moment was because of someone else's evil.

Olivia saw the far away look in his eye and the darkness that was starting to encompass him. He was going to that deep dark place within himself. Olivia couldn't let that happened. She pulled his face so that his eyes were meeting hers, but she could tell he wasn't seeing her. "Listen to me Fitz," called Olivia but not getting any response, so she tried again. "Fitz! Fitz! Fitz! Listen to me. You are an amazing human being. Don't do this to yourself. Don't go there. It's not worth it."

"Olivia, I just can't let it go. You have no idea. NO IDEA what I went through. Losing you was the hardest thing I ever went through. It ruined me," responded Fitz, whispering the last three words.

Olivia's heart shattered all over again, but she didn't let it overcome her again. She needed to be strong for Fitz now. She could see he was not handling it well. Despite how strong and smart Fitz was, he still had a weak spot, an Achilles heal and it was her. Olivia had always known Fitz loved her, but now seeing how this news affected him, she finally realized just how deeply it was.

"Fitz, I'm truly so sorry. I never knew. You never knew. But, it happened and we need to face the facts and not let this define us," encouraged Olivia.

"IT ALREADY DEFINED ME OLIVIA!" shouted Fitz, not being able to handle this anymore. He needed a drink. He needed a bottle of Scotch and fast.

Fitz removed himself from Olivia and moved over to the liquor cabinet, almost tearing off the door. He shuffled through it until he found what he was looking for. He ripped open the bottle and poured himself a full class, downing it without a moment's hesitation.

Olivia watched in horror as he refilled the glass to the brim again and started drank the whole thing in one move. She ran over to him and pulled the glass from his hand. "Please, please stop. Don't do this to yourself. Please," she cried, not being able to witness his self-destruction. She knew what Scotch was to Fitz.

"Give me back the glass Olivia," requested Fitz calmly.

"Please, no. Don't drink any more Fitz. Please," begged Olivia.

"Give me the DAMN GLASS!" bellowed Fitz.

Olivia handed him the glass and he through it across the room, shattering it into a million pieces. Olivia threw her arms around him and started crying into his chest, over come with the pain of seeing Fitz that way. She wanted him to stop; to come back from the dark place.

Fitz started balling again, not being able to control himself. He just could not get over the pain of losing Olivia all for nothing. Nothing could justify what had happened in his mind. Nothing could make it okay.

Finally, Fitz did what he had been wanting to do since he first lay eyes on Olivia that day. He lifted her chin and kissed her. He kissed her gently, with soul-shattering tenderness, as if trying to soothe all the pain they had been through with it.

Olivia couldn't believe his lips were on hers. She through her arms around his neck and whole-heartedly responded to the kiss. Fitz lifted her up and started walking back into his bedroom. When he finally reached the bed, he gently placed Olivia on it, laying her out with him on top of her. He dug his fingers into her hair and held her head still as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, escalating the passion of the kiss.

Olivia kept kissing him, never wanting to stop, but soon, alarm bells started to go off in her head. Despite feeling so good, it didn't feel right. Not like this. Not in Fitz's home that he occupied with another woman. Not in a bed that Fitz had made love to another woman in. Olivia didn't want things to be like this. She quickly started to pull away, knowing that things were just going to escalate if they kept going at the pace they were.

"Fitz. Fitz. Fitz, we need to stop. This can't happen. Not now, not here," spoke Olivia, trying to break through their haze. She had pulled her mouth away from his, but he just attached his mouth to her neck, tracing a path leading to her ear. It was clear that Fitz wasn't listening.

Olivia finally found the strength and pushed him away, stunning him long enough to roll out from under him and get off the bed. "What's wrong? Why are you leaving?" asked Fitz, confused by the sudden loss of her body from under him.

"Fitz, I'm not doing this with you again. Last time was a mistake remember? You were right. It shouldn't have happened. Not under those conditions and not under these either. You are engaged to Mellie and I'm engaged to Edison. We know better now. Plus, I can't be with you in someone else's home. I would die if I were Mellie and this was happening in my bed," responded Olivia.

The mention of Mellie's name brought Fitz back to reality. He wanted to feel guilty about what just happened, but at the moment, he just couldn't. All Fitz wanted was to find a way to close the gaping hole in his heart that had been ripped open from the night's revelations.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just… I just… I just need something to take away the pain. I can't handle it," admitted Fitz, casting his head down, ashamed by his emotions and weakness.

Olivia got back on the bed and ran her fingers through his hair, "It's okay, I understand," she soothed, not wanting him to get depressed again. "Do you want some food maybe? Food coma it up. Everything looks better on a full stomach," she suggested, wanting to cheer him up.

"You know what, lets do it. Why not right?" agreed Fitz.

Fitz and Olivia ordered delivery from one of Fitz's favorite restaurants. They ordered so much food that the restaurant need to bring it up with a cart. Fitz even opened one his prized bottles of wine and they spent the rest of the evening, not so much talking, but just enjoying each other's company, trying to distract themselves from the reality of the truth that they just uncovered. As it got later and later, Olivia felt less and less like leaving. She had eaten to her stomach's fill and then kept going until she couldn't take another bite or she would explode. Fitz laughed and egged her on, and even kept eating himself. They finished off the bottle of wine and were now cuddled on the couch, watching tv, but not really watching.

Fitz just wanted to feel the pleasure of having Olivia's body close to his own. Olivia couldn't bring herself to stay out of Fitz's arms. They were the place she most wanted to be. As it got later and later, Olivia no longer could keep her eyes open, indicating it was time to leave or else she would end up passing out.

As she started to pull away, Fitz turned her gaze to meet his, confused by her sudden change. Olivia answered him, "I need to get going. I'm dead tired and after eating all this food and the cathartic release we had earlier, I'm completely done for. I've got to go or else I don't know where I'll end up."

"Why don't you just stay here?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Fitz…" trailed Olivia, unsure if it was a good idea to stay. They were both in an emotionally raw place and Olivia didn't want to push things any further than they had already gone that night.

"Livvie…" was all Fitz said in return. He didn't want her to leave. After ten years apart, he didn't feel like being away from her another second. Plus, her presence was the only thing keeping him together at that moment.

When Olivia heard Fitz call her by old nickname, she knew she couldn't say no to staying. Look in his eyes, desperately pleading with her was more than she could handle. "Fine, alright. But nothing is happening," Olivia pointedly responded.

"I don't think I can handle anything happening," Fitz honestly admitted.

"And I'm not sleeping in your bed," stipulated Olivia. There was no way she was going to sleep with Fitz in a bed he shared with another woman.

"Let's just stay like this on the couch. I want to stay with you in my arms. Let me go get a blanket and a pillow," responded Fitz.

"Okay," agreed Olivia.

Fitz quickly went into this room and grabbed the spare blanket from the closet. He also grabbed his pillow from the bed and quickly made his way back to Olivia. When he came back, Olivia was biting her lip, indicative of something being on her mind.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Fitz, worried she had changed her mind and wanted to leave again.

"I'm in my work clothes, I don't want to sleep wearing them. Maybe I should just go home," replied Olivia.

"Okay, I'll give you some of mine. Not a big deal. Please don't leave," responded Fitz.

Olivia nodded in agreement and Fitz went off back into his room, looking for something that would fit Olivia. He grabbed an old Navy tshirt and gym shorts and came back out to the living room. "See if you can swim in these," he joked as he threw the clothes at Olivia.

Olivia caught the clothes and laughed. It was amazing how easily they fell back into their old ways, even after all this time. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Over there," pointed Fitz at the first door in the hallway leading to his bedroom.

Olivia got up and quickly scurried to go get changed. As she closed the door, she took in her surroundings. It was a modern style bathroom, with everything neat and orderly. Olivia was surprised to find that there was no evidence of who or how many people lived there. No toothbrush on the counter, no his and hers towels, nothing. Olivia was tempted to start going through the cabinet to see if Fitz still used the same products, but then remembered one glaring fact that was staring her right in the face.

Fitz was no longer hers. It had been ten years, and despite everything finally coming to light, it still didn't mean that they could just pick up from where they left off. Olivia tried to push these feelings to the side, not wanting to dwell on them at the moment. She quickly changed and brushed her teeth with her little travel toothbrush that she always kept in her purse. She folded her clothes neatly into a pile and went back out to Fitz.

Fitz had been sitting, staring at the bathroom door since the moment she stepped in. He couldn't believe what was happening. His mind still couldn't get around everything that happened that evening. Fitz decided not to focus on it and instead, keep in the moment. Olivia came out and seeing her dressed in his clothes, she looked like she did back in college. For a moment in time, it was as if they were transported back in time and they were still Fitz & Olivia, young and crazy in love.

They didn't say anything as Fitz lay down on the couch and held his hand out for Olivia to join him. She joined him, with her back against his chest, as they spooned. It amazed Fitz how good it felt to have her back in his arms. A calmness washed over him as he finally felt his body relax for the first time in a very long time. Fitz buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent. Even now, she still smelled so good to him.

Olivia felt Fitz's ministrations and smiled. She grabbed his hand that was wrapped around her waist and brought it to her face. Olivia nuzzled her cheek into his hand and then kissed his palm, hoping to convey that she felt the same way as him. She laced her own fingers through his and kept it next to her cheek. Lastly, Olivia snuggled her body into Fitz's and fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Olivia woke up before Fitz. Olivia was now wrapped around Fitz, with her face resting on his chest. Fitz's arms were wrapped around her as well, holding her in place. She looked down at her current state of dress and couldn't believe what she saw.

Olivia was no long wearing Fitz's tshirt and shorts. All she was in were her panties. Even her bra had gone missing. To top it all off, Fitz had also shed his clothes and was only in his boxer briefs. Their legs were entwined and the blanket had been kicked to the floor. Olivia couldn't believe it.

Olivia looked up at Fitz and saw him sleeping with a smile on his face. It was such a sweet sight. It remaindered Olivia of the good ole days of how they would sleep wrapped in each other's arms with little to nothing else on them.

Olivia rested her head back down on Fitz's chest and listened to the soothing sound of Fitz's heart beating. She sat there for a few more minutes wanting to take in as much as she could before she returned back to the real world. Olivia placed a few gentle kisses on Fitz's heart and started to slowly ease herself from her spot in his arms. After she was finally disentangled, she quickly picked up the shirt she had been wearing the night before and put it back on. Olivia also picked up the blanket from the floor and laid it on Fitz. She didn't want him to get cold.

Olivia checked the time and saw that it was still very early in the morning, but she knew she needed to get dressed and get ready for the day. She put her clothes back on, quickly tried to fix her hair so it was somewhat presentable, and brushed her teeth. Olivia folded the clothes Fitz gave her and put them back on the loveseat next to where he was sleeping. She sat for a moment and watched him sleep, enjoying one last view of her prince charming.

Olivia picked up her shoes and silently walked towards the door. She left quietly. Olivia took the service elevator back down and left from the back, the same way she came. Last night had been a magically evening, but it couldn't last. Despite having the weight of the event off her shoulders, now her heart felt heavier than ever. 'What was going to happen now?' is all that kept running through Olivia's head.

Olivia didn't know how to proceed from there, so she decided to wait and see how things would play out.

…

Fitz woke up a little later in the morning, surprised by how well he slept. He never slept longer than six hours. Fitz was still on the couch, practically naked except for his underwear and surprised to be alone. He was confused for a moment, wondering why he was there instead of his bed, and then the shattering realization of the previous night came down on him.

Fitz quickly got up and started looking for any sign of Olivia in the apartment. After searching the whole apartment, Fitz realized Olivia wasn't there. She left without saying goodbye, without leaving a note. Fitz's heart dropped. It made it seem as if last night had only been a dream. The happy feeling he had woken up with had left his heart and it was replaced by the normal despair that he had gotten used to in the last ten years.

Fitz quickly got dressed and headed on over to work. By noon, he could no longer ignore the feeling that was eating at him. Fitz decided to just give in and bite the bullet. He picked up his cell phone and called Olivia. By the third ring, Olivia picked up.

"Hello?" answered Olivia.

"Hi," responded Fitz.

"Hi," repeated Olivia.

"Why did you leave this morning?" asked Fitz, cutting straight to the chase.

"Because I didn't want to be seen leaving your apartment. Plus, I had work I needed to do," responded Olivia. Honestly, she didn't know what caused her to go. She just knew she needed to leave that morning.

"I wish you had said something," admitted Fitz.

"I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry," apologized Olivia.

"I want to see you again," confessed Fitz.

"Why?" responded Olivia. After reflecting on the previous evening all morning, Olivia was afraid. She didn't know what was going to happen or what the future had in store for her.

"To talk," replied Fitz. He thought it was funny how when she badgered him to do something he was suppose to give in, but when he asked her he needed to explain himself. He didn't like this one bit.

After a brief pause on both ends, Fitz's anger got the best of him. "You know what, I don't know what I was thinking. I'm glad you came and made me talk last night, and I especially liked how you handled yourself this morning. Great job, Olivia. You know, I think I've seen enough of you to last me for another ten years. Please don't contact me again. Everything is out in the open now. We can go back to our normal lives. Good luck with yours," huffed Fitz and hung up the phone. To think he wanted to see her again. Fitz started to wonder how Olivia became so selfish and self-centered.

Olivia was stunned by Fitz's words. She hadn't been expecting them. She instantly felt bad about her behavior this morning and the hesitation she just had in their phone call. Olivia realized that she had just majorly screwed up with Fitz. She looked at the phone trying to think of a way to fix the mess she had just made. After a few minutes, Olivia gave up and went back to work.

Around three in the afternoon, Olivia had gotten a great idea. She decided to invite Fitz to dinner as a way to try and make up for her earlier folly. She called him but he didn't answer and it went to voicemail. 'He must be busy,' she thought and called him again right before she left her little make shift office at the café she had been at all day. This time, the phone had gone straight to voicemail. Fitz was ignoring her phone calls.

Olivia grew hissy at the realization and decided to confront Fitz. She waited outside in the plaza of the building that contained his office, and sat there until he came out of the building.

"Fitz! Fitz!" called Olivia trying to get his attention.

"Why are you here? Are you really trying to make me look bad?" countered Fitz, angered by Olivia's presence. He had spent all afternoon trying to get her out of his head, and after just going through a two hour meeting discussing budgets and regulations, all he wanted to do was go to the gym and work off all his frustration.

"What are you talking about?" shot Olivia.

"I'm talking about you accosting me outside my work two days in a row. I told you already, I cannot be seen with you. Why do you insist of behaving this way?" retaliated Fitz.

"I'm sorry," was all Olivia could say.

"Listen, I don't know how you became this selfish and self-centered, but let me tell you something, this type of behavior doesn't work with me. I have a life, I have a job; you cannot come and go as you please with me. I am not someone you can just do whatever you want with. You need to understand and respect my position. Now, understand and respect this – LEAVE ME ALONE," spoke Fitz. He was done playing these games with her.

"Listen, I'm sorry. All I know is to focus on my job and myself," confessed Olivia as she hung he head down in shame. She knew he was right, but it was just so much easier to give in her to her impulses, doing as she pleased instead of being considerate of his feelings.

"You weren't like this before," shot Fitz. He was disgusted by Olivia's admission. He wondered if she really was a completely different person from the one he used to know.

"Well, you weren't this stubborn and difficult before. I get that you are in a fragile state and you're afraid of getting back to that dark painful place. I am afraid, too. The possibility of us is scary. I don't know how to handle the possibility, either," admitted Olivia.

Fitz let her words sink in. There was a possibility, but not a strong one, because he loved Mellie and wanted to marry her, but still, he understood Olivia's point about it. Honestly, what it really boiled down to was Fitz did not want to get hurt again. He was pretty sure he wouldn't survive it. This morning, before all the drama of the day had occurred, Fitz had been filled by the hope of the possibility that he and Olivia could get back together. In the blind bliss of the morning, Fitz had been willing to take that leap of faith with her. Now though, after everything that transpired, Fitz no longer was so willing. Olivia's behavior had really taken a toll on him.

"Listen, I don't think I'm ready to take that chance on you. Honestly, this morning, when I first woke up, before I had realized you left, I had been ready and willing to try again with you. After last night, how could I not. But, now, after all this. I woke up. You snapped me back to reality. I'm not willing or capable of putting myself out there for you, just to have you disappointment all over again," replied Fitz.

Olivia was floored by Fitz's response, she hadn't been expecting that. She didn't think her behavior had been that bad. "I can't believe you. We've been through so much together. You used to be the only person in this world who really knew me. How can you sit here and tell me that you can't find it in your heart to give us a second chance – just because I left this morning without saying goodbye and the earlier phone call," angrily responded Olivia.

"See, that's exactly what I mean. You are so self-centered. You are only looking at this through your own selfish eyes. You don't see the real meaning behind your actions because it doesn't suit you at the moment. You want me to give you another chance and yet it's for your own selfish benefit and reasons that you want it. You don't care about me and my feelings. You just care about how I make YOU feel," spit Fitz, his point coming clearly across.

Tears started to stream down Olivia's face. How could he say something like that to her? Her world used to revolve around him. He couldn't give her/them a chance?

"Fuck you, Fitz. You're just as selfish as I am. You worried about the possibility of getting your own heart broken. That's all that you care, protecting yourself. You're trying to use what happened early as a reason to shut yourself off. Yeah, I am selfish and self-centered, but I was the same way when you first met me. You were patient with me and you didn't give up on me then. You changed me for the better. Why can't you be a little patient now, too? Let us get back on the right footing. Lets find our way back to each other. Please, we owe it to each other to try. What we had was so amazing, so special, so beautiful, it's worth a second shot," professed Olivia.

Fitz listened to Olivia's words, but at that moment, he couldn't take them to heart. Right now, Fitz just felt so alienated that he couldn't take anything Olivia's was saying. Even her tears didn't faze him. He was stuck in the tunnel vision of seeing the pain he had gone through ten years ago and he didn't want to go through it again. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I can't right now. You need to give me some time."

"What does that mean?" asked Olivia.

"It means, just lets give each other some space. Let everything settle. Think about things and then I guess move on from there. I need time," answered Fitz.

"Time?" repeated Olivia.

"Time. I can't do this right now. I can't even listen to what you are saying whole-heartedly. I can't do this. Let's go back to our normal lives. No contact and give this time to heal itself. Then, if we both still feel something, obviously let's explore it then. But nothing is going to happen right this moment. I'm going to the gym now and you are going back home to where ever you live and then just let everything be. Don't come find me again, don't call me, or do anything else to get in contact with me. Can you do that?" challenged Fitz.

Anger spurted through Olivia. Could she do that? Of course she could do that. She had her answer with Fitz. He was done with her. Olivia decided she would do this. His answer filled her with anger. She straightened herself, wiped her tears, and regrouped. "Yeah, I can do that. You know what I just realized Fitz, you aren't the man I used to know. The old Fitz would never let fear paralyze him and stop him. Cause that's what you are, Fitz, scared. Scared of getting hurt and that's no way to live," spit Olivia.

"The old Fitz had his whole life ruined, his heart shattered. He couldn't recover, but this new Fitz did, and the hell I'm going to go through that again," countered Fitz. With that, he left Olivia without another word.

2 days later…

Fitz had been sitting, contemplating Olivia's words. He kept going over everything that had happened and everything that had come to light. Fitz couldn't come to any understanding. He decided to go to the one person who knew everything, to get advice.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number.

"Dad?"


	13. Chapter 13

"What's going on Fitz? Do you need anything?" asked Gerry hurriedly. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone and had a massive amount of work to do.

"Are you busy?" continued Fitz, sensing his father wasn't in the mood.

"Yes, extremely. Is this an urgent call or can it wait?" questioned Gerry.

"It can wait. I'll talk to you later," sighed Fitz, hanging up before Gerry even answered.

Fitz decided to just ignore what he was feeling and try to focus on the present. Mellie still hadn't come back yet and Fitz was starting to feel lonely. He had grown accustomed to having her always around. They used to be partners in crime, working late and then going out for drinks after. They had the same friends and would go out and do things all together. But, ever since they got engaged, Mellie had been completely wrapped up in the wedding planning, ignoring everyone and everything. After a month and a half of Mellie blowing off their friends, they stopped inviting Fitz and Mellie out.

These were people they had been close with for years and now they didn't seem to matter to her. Fitz blamed himself as well. He knew he used Mellie as a crutch, and had gotten so used to her always being around, he didn't go anywhere without her. She had become his best friend and it was so much easier to do everything together because if he didn't he would just tell her about it afterwards. This way, it saved him the trouble and the talk just to have her with. Plus, Fitz liked the companionship. To have someone always there, who was your person. Mellie hadn't been his person in the beginning, but as their relationship evolved, she started to become that person for him.

The last few months, it seemed as Mellie had completely changed. Ever since she quit her job, she had made things that used to seem unimportant and insignificant, huge priorities. She kept emphasizing the importance of Fitz's job and his colleagues. She put on fancy dinner parties and worried about having the right outfit and entre. The old Mellie wore extremely expensive power suits and dominated a room. She would push him to be the best he could be, because she would always try her best and succeed. Now, having Mellie demurely sit back and emphasize Fitz instead was something Fitz hated. He didn't want someone subservient; he wanted an equal.

The worst part of it all was that Mellie seemed to have joined forces with Big Gerry. Fitz had no choice anymore but to completely capitulate to their demands. If Mellie wanted something, and Fitz disagreed, she would get Big Gerry on him. If Big Gerry wanted something he would either coerce Fitz to do it, or get Mellie to nag him until he agreed. It was a double-teaming process, both pitted against him, but Fitz really couldn't get mad. Both had his best interest at heart and wanted him to succeed. He just wished they would let him do it his way and not their own.

Fitz sighed, residing in his fate. He must be focusing way too much on Olivia, constantly thinking about their situation, which he made nonexistent. Maybe he really didn't need to talk, he just needed to work. He turned back to the spreadsheets he'd been staring at for the last hour and finally figured them out.

… Elsewhere in the world…

"Edison, I promise I will try my best to get off work to come to your donor's dinner. I mean it is kind of short notice," replied Olivia, not really wanting to go at all the dinner.

"Please Olivia. They need to see us as a unified force. I won't be able to ride the young and vibrant wave forever. Eventually, people grow and change. They PROGRESS in life. My constituents need to see that they put their faith in the right man, who someone who holds the same values as they do," declared Edison. He really wanted Olivia to make the move to Providence and be with him fulltime.

"Edison, we'll be a unified force once we are MARRIED. It isn't even election season. This is just a glorified cocktail party. Don't sweat it. I'll try my best to make it, but I'm working on a case and I can't just drop what I'm doing when I'm on deadline," countered Olivia. Lately, Edison had been whining about how he wanted her around all the time. Olivia relished her freedom. She wasn't ready to drop everything to cater to Edison's every wish. If it were up to him they would already be married, she would have quit her job, and be waiting for him at home with a meal on the table.

"Speaking of marriage, have you decided on a date yet?" asked Edison.

"Not any time soon," shot Olivia.

"Funny, Liv. Honestly, maybe we should start getting this ball rolling. You know, ease up on your case load, that way when the wedding comes around, it won't be so surprising when you don't come back after the honeymoon," replied Edison.

"What? You better be telling me you're kidding right now," gasped Olivia. She couldn't believe what Edison was saying at the moment.

"What? That was always the plan live. To get married, be together, start a family. Why you acting surprised all of a sudden?" countered Edison, hoping Olivia wasn't serious in her surprise.

"I can't talk to you right now. I'm too angry for words at the moment. I can't believe you think I would drop everything to be married to you. You're lucky you aren't here at the moment," spit Olivia before she hung up the phone.

Edison had no idea what had come over but just looked at the phone and shook his head. He would leave her alone and let her cool off. She must have been having a bad day before they got on the phone.

Olivia huffed, trying to get control over herself. She was going to kill Edison when she finally saw him. Oh, and the dinner that had been so important for her to go to, not happening.

Olivia just couldn't believe that Edison wanted her to drop everything to be with him. She thought they were partners, equals. Clearly, he didn't feel the same way or else they would have discussed what was going to happen after they got married, instead of just assuming that things were going to go a certain way. There was nothing wrong with not working and being a team with her husband. There was nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom either, but Olivia wasn't going to be told what to do, she wanted to make the choice voluntarily.

Doing what she knew she shouldn't, she wondered how Fitz would have handled the situation. She remembered him telling her once how he would never interfere or hold her back from something she wanted to do. They would always need to discuss everything, but if she wanted to do something and he didn't, he would let her do her thing and just wait for her to come to him. _"I will make you a priority, but you need to make me one as well." _Oh those famous words of his, coming back to haunt her now.

Olivia took a minute to consider what Fitz had told her once. He wanted to be made a priority and in exchange, he would make her one as well. Edison did make Olivia a priority, she knew that, but the question was – did she make him one? At times, yes, most of the time… honestly… probably not. It didn't seem to matter that much to her what he wanted, because he never really held it against. He didn't hold her accountable for her actions, let alone, her actions against him. So, if that was the case, could she really hold it against Edison for assuming that she would eventually make him a priority?

Olivia threw her head back in frustration. Even now, after oh so long ago, Fitz's impression on her really did make her a better person. She knew if she called her mother, Audry would instantly tell her to fight Edison on quitting and break the engagement. In essence, throw a fit until you get what you want, ignoring everyone else's wants and feelings.

After Fitz's harsh words the other day, Olivia didn't want to be like that anymore. Hearing Fitz calling her selfish and self-centered was a wake up call. She had really let herself get out of hand. Despite being a grown woman, with a successful career, Olivia acted like a childish teenager waiting outside her boyfriend's work to make him talk to her because they had a fight. It was ridiculous. She shouldn't have behaved like that.

Olivia didn't want to end up like her mother. Her father had long since left her mother. Olivia never realized what had happened until it was way too late. Growing up, Olivia had been used to her father being away, never around, and his silence for long periods of time. All the times she called him and the phone just rang without an answer, no longer hurt her because she knew her father was busy working on something important, at least that's what her mother had told her. It was the lies that Audry told herself continuously to make it through the day to day life without her husband.

It turned out in actuality, Rowan had just given up long ago. Once he realized his wife was miserable to the point of becoming a completely different person, he stopped coming home. Audry had Olivia to keep her busy and so Rowan's absence wasn't so bad. But, once Audry went off the deep end when Olivia was in the hospital, Rowan had enough. After a year of hearing Audry complain how it was Fitz's fault that his happened to Olivia, after witnessing Audry put Olivia in the mental ward because Olivia wanted to get in contact with Fitz, Rowan was done.

Rowan had tried to stop Audry from putting Olivia in the mental ward, but by the time he got there, it had been too late. Rowan had known that Audry had kept Fitz away, but when he uncovered that Audry had a restraining order on him and had put the poor boy in jail twice, he was disgusted. Audry was trying to use the event to put Olivia back under her thumb. That was the straw that broke the camel's back and Rowan couldn't handle any more of it. Audry was no longer the person he married, the wife he wanted, or the mother of his child. She was a monster. Rowan never told Olivia why he divorced Audry, but Olivia had a feeling it had something to do the event.

Rowan got Olivia's out of the mental health facility and back at Harvard. He took care of everything with the school so that Olivia could still complete her degree on time. All money and tuition expenses for the rest of Olivia's life was taken care threw Rowan so that Audry couldn't play games with Olivia like she had the previous time. Olivia was thankful for everything her father did to try and save her. Had Olivia known what she knew now, she would have stopped talking or having any type of relationship with Audry.

Audry had taken the divorce in stride, putting on a façade of nonchalance, but in reality, she was hurt by it. Audry had no one to blame but herself. Karma had come back and bit her in the ass – hard. She lost the single person she loved more than anything in the world. She had lost the person she had given up everything for. What Audry didn't understand that was that she had always had the power to shape her surroundings to make her happy, but Audry just always chose to be unhappy.

Olivia didn't want to lose herself in Edison, like her mother lost herself in Rowan, and then resented him for it. Granted, Olivia was stubborn, she was not as stubborn as Audry. Maybe she and Edison weren't such a good match if he kept accepting the worst version of her instead of the best. Edison never pushed her to better than she was, he was happy with her as is. Though, that was comforting, it didn't sit well with Olivia. It was like Edison was settling. Olivia didn't want anyone to settle with her.

This is the thought process that kept going through Olivia's head. She sat there re-evaluating everything and looking at it from a new perspective. For the first time in her life, Olivia really considered her current position in response to the event. If she had stayed with Fitz and they had never broken up – would she still be where she was now? Also, was she happy with herself and her current work position?

Olivia contemplated those questions and came up to the realization she still would have ended up in here. She would have taken the internship that first brought her down to D.C., if not of her own volition, then from Fitz's insistence. Olivia knew Fitz would have never allowed her to miss such an opportunity. Would she have still gone to Georgetown Law school? Yes. She loved Georgetown, knowing Fitz wouldn't have held her back from going there. Would she still be working in Crisis Management? Yes. Would she be as ruthless as she was? Probably not. Would she need to be as ruthless as she was as a way of proving her point to her mother that she was successful? No, she would not.

The ending conclusion of her revelation was that she missed Fitz and he made her a better person, and even without him there, his memory inspired her to be better. Olivia was so tempted to hop on a train and go back to New York and find him. Tell him that she still loved him and to just be with her. Olivia knew she never stopped loving Fitz. The question now was – there still a little bit of the man that he had once been – all those years ago – inside the man she was reunited with now?

Fitz had said he had changed and from what Olivia could tell, despite all his accomplishments, it wasn't for the better. It was like he had lost the piece of him that made him so uniquely him. Everything else, the fear, the anger, Mellie, Olivia chalked that all up repercussions of the event. It was like Fitz bared his scars on the outside while Olivia had them on the inside. If given the opportunity, Olivia believed they could find their way back to happiness. She just needed to give him time to realize it. So, she went back to work, needing to make up for the all the time she spent thinking.

…Weeks later…

"Mellie, honestly, what is wrong with you lately? How can you be so cold?" asked Fitz, surprised by Mellie's comment.

"What? I told you to stop pouting and being a baby because you saw some of the darker underbelly of McNamara's dealings. How do you think he got elected? I don't understand how you never realized it," countered Mellie.

Mellie was starting to get sick of Fitz's recent behavior. At first, she liked how he had missed her so much, sticking by her side like a puppy when she had first gotten back. But now, pouting when she had to leave again, wanting to check in during the day, being continuously need of attention and affection, Mellie was getting sick of having to put in so much effort. She was surprised she missed the old Fitz. The old Fitz was just obsessed with working. He worked, he came home, he went to sleep, it was easy. Every now and then, he'd fuck her real good and then roll over. The other night, he tried holding her and she got hot and left the bed.

"Mellie, I don't understand how you could be so blasé about something like this? The entire city's garbage disposal system is going to be headed up by his brother in law. Seriously? You know there are laws set in place to prevent this from happening because it is ILLEGAL," responded Fitz.

"Fitz get over yourself," screamed Mellie, completely fed up with everything.

"Mellie, what the hell has gotten into you?" asked Fitz, surprised by her outburst.

"I'm sick of arguing with you about how nothing is as it seemed. It's always been this way, you just had never taken a look before. Now, you're wanting to talk and be together all the time. I'm sick of hearing you ALL THE TIME. Do they not give you enough work to do there? Are you just realizing how politics work? For Pete's sake, YOU'RE BIG GERRY'S SON – YOU HAVE A DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE – this isn't news," cried Mellie.

"Fuck you, Mellie. This is just because you have nothing else to do with yourself but plan this stupid wedding. YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER QUIT YOUR JOB! Go see if you can get it back. I hate how you've centered yourself around my career and yet you tell me your sick of me? Silly me to want to talk to you – remind me again why I live with you? Agreed to marry you? Cause if this is what I have to look forward to – I don't want it," yelled Fitz. With that, Fitz stormed out of the apartment, not wanting to be around her a second longer. He didn't regret anything he just said to Mellie. It had been on his mind for weeks and now he got it off his chest.

Fitz went to the local bar, wanting a drink to take the edge off. He signaled the bartender and ordered Bourbon. As he was waiting for the bartender to bring him his drink, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you're that guy that works for McNamara, right?" asked the guy.

"Yeah, why?" responded Fitz.

"Good, give McNamara this and tell him Tall Louie is interested," said the guy as he handed Fitz a package.

"I don't want this," replied Fitz, but it was already too late, the man had left.

Fitz whipped out his phone and called McNamara up immediately. "Listen Chief, I just got a package here and was told to give it to you with the phrase Tall Louie is interested. What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh, okay. Great. Listen Fitz, wanna come over to the supper club? I'm here now with Kramer and Letcher. We can discuss things here," countered McNamara.

"Fine, I'll be over in a bit," responded Fitz.

"No, it's best if you come now," replied McNamara, hanging up without another word.

Fitz didn't like being ordered around, especially not by McNamara, but he agreed since he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Things were not as they seemed and Fitz didn't like this one bit. After being in the Navy for four years and training with spec ops – Fitz knew to trust his gut when something was amiss. Lately, McNamara's personal agenda was getting in the way of his politics and making Fitz's job harder than necessary. McNamara held public office and that meant he served at the will of the people, not his own agenda.

Fitz finished his drink and then made his way to the supper club. When he finally got there, he was instantly ushered in to the private room McNamara and the rest of the party were in. Fitz threw the package on the table in front of McNamara and said, "Let's get one thing crystal clear - I'm not your delivery boy."

"Sit down, Grant," ordered McNamara.

"No, I think I'll stand. I also don't take orders from you. This time was just a courtesy," spat Fitz.

"YOU WORK FOR ME – THEREFORE YOU DO WHAT I SAY," screamed McNamara, refusing to be disrespected by anyone, let alone Grant, in front of his people. Two large men flanked behind Fitz as if a physical warning of what would occur if Fitz didn't fall in line.

Fitz wasn't fazed. He worked for three years in special ops for the Navy. If he had signed on for another tour, we would have been a SEAL instead. This now, was nothing to him. "Back off McNamara. I work for the people of New York, their tax payer dollars, not you," shot Fitz.

"You work for me and you damn well better remember that next time I see you or else you'll have no work at all," threatened McNamara.

"I quit. Now you don't have to worry about the next time at all," countered Fitz.

"Fine, leave. That's the last time I do your daddy a favor. Tell Big Gerry he still owes me one," smirked McNamara, waving Fitz off.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" asked Fitz, shocked by the curve ball McNamara just threw at him.

"Oh, I think you know. If you don't, go ask your dear ole dad," laughed McNamara, as he had his two goons escort Fitz out of the club.

Fitz was livid with the news he had just heard. He instantly pulled out his phone and called Big Gerry, but the call just went straight to voicemail. Fitz hung up, knowing Big Gerry wouldn't listen to the voicemail anyways. Fitz gave up and decided to just go home.

"Where were you?" was the first thing Mellie said as soon as Fitz walked in through the door.

"Did you know Big Gerry got me the job at McNamara's office?" asked Fitz, wanting to know if Mellie knew.

"Yes," answered Mellie, surprised by Fitz's question. "How did you find out?"

"I just quit McNamara's bullshit dirty office and he told me he was doing Big Gerry a favor by having me work for him," explained Fitz.

"Why the hell would you do something like that? Are you crazy?" screamed Mellie.

"Because what he is doing is ILLEGAL – he's a dirty crook, just like the rest of them," spat Fitz, disgusted with Mellie's response.

"WE NEED HIM TO BACK YOU FOR THE GOVENOR'S TICKET YOU FOOL!" bellowed Mellie, as if it was the most obvious thing. "What did you think everything I've been doing has been for? For you to become governor!"

"What the hell are you talking about Mellie? We don't need him. California is ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY," retorted Fitz.

"You are an even bigger fool that I could have ever imagined. MCNAMARA HAS MONEY! CONNECTIONS! We needed them to help raise the funds for the campaign. You needed experience in the public office realm to even be considered. How could you have not seen this? Where the hell is your head? You've just alienated our biggest ally. I quit my job so that I could help get things ready to be the first lady of California, not some house wife," declared Mellie, furious with Fitz.

"Are you serious? Is that what all of this has been? Is that all I ever was to you? A chance at a political future?" asked Fitz, floored by Mellie's confession.

"No and you know that. I have not stuck by you for ten years, eight of them in the friend zone, at a chance at a political future. The last two years was when I realized there was a guarantee. At least, that's what I thought, until you pulled this," spat Mellie, still furious at Fitz.

Fitz was floored by Mellie's confession. He was disgusted. He couldn't look at her for another second. He grabbed his coat and left.

"Fitz? Fitz? Where the hell are you going now?" called Mellie, but Fitz just ignored her.

Fitz needed to get away from this place, away from his father's influence. He didn't want to remain in Boston for another moment. He walked towards the train station, wanting to get on the first train out of the city. He looked down at his phone and did something he'd been wanting to do, but was too afraid to for the longest time.

Four hours later…

Olivia heard a hard pounding on her door. It was the very late at night and she wasn't expecting anyone. Edison was still in Providence and Audry, well, Audry was still in New York oblivious to the fact that Olivia was ignoring her. Olivia had no idea who would be at the door, but still hurried to answer it.

The person there was the last one she expected, but the one she hoped for the most.

"Fitz?"

"Olivia."


	14. Chapter 14

"Fitz, what are you doing here? How did you find me?" asked Olivia, still shocked by his presence.

"You know you could invite me in first," responded Fitz.

"You're right, I could, but I'm so tempted to treat you the same you treated me when you first saw me in New York," countered Olivia. She knew she was going to invite him in, but she wanted to make him squirm a bit.

"Well, this is your chance to prove that you are a far better person than I and invite me in," replied Fitz.

"You're sauced - why? What's the matter? Come in," directed Olivia. It was evident to Olivia that Fitz must've had a drink before coming to see her because ever since she encountered him, he hadn't been sassy with her at all.

Fitz walked in to Olivia's apartment, taking in everything. He was surprised how big it was. It was bigger than his place in New York and everyone knew how sky high the rent was in D.C., it was in tight competition with New York for most expensive. Fitz gave a little whistle as he turned around facing Olivia who had closed the door and locked it. "This place is incredible. You live alone?"

"I do live alone and thank you. Bigger than your place, eh?" smirked Olivia.

"This is true. I'm not going to lie, I'm impressed," countered Fitz. He took off his coat and his jacket and plopped down on the couch.

"So, are you going to tell me how you found me and why you're here?" questioned Olivia, as she sat across from on the loveseat.

"I googled you. Amazing how you can find anyone at the touch of a button," smirked Fitz.

"Haha, very funny. My information is not as readily available as yours," responded Olivia. She had to keep a tight lid on her information and protect her privacy due to her line of work.

"Well, I may have pushed a few extra buttons," replied Fitz, throwing Olivia's words back at her.

"Touché," laughed Olivia. "So, why are you here?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Do you have anything to drink?" countered Fitz.

"Ha, that doesn't work here. I've got water and coffee, you're choice," shot Olivia.

"I'll take the water. Too late for coffee," responded Fitz.

Olivia got up and retrieved him a bottle of water from the fridge. She threw it at him, which of course he caught, and sat back down in here spot. "Start talking. Why you here?"

"Because my whole life since 22 has been a lie. Even now, the great life I was building was a lie. My fiancée, who I thought really loved me, turned out to be a lie. My father is a master manipulator, which I've always known, but chose to conveniently forget for the sake of my own selfish reasoning, has been manipulating me for I don't even know how long. I just quit my job because I realized I worked for a scumbag. I just can't take this bullshit anymore," admitted Fitz, throwing his head back against the couch.

Olivia could visibly see the anguish etched in Fitz's face. She knew their revelation was going to take a toll on him, but it seemed as if his whole world has been shattered. Her heart hurt for him. "So, you're world came crumbling down and you decided to come to me?"

"I didn't have anywhere else to go. Plus, I figured it I'd pay you back for your impromptu visit with one of my own," joked Fitz, trying to lighten the mood from the abyss it was becoming.

"You are always welcome where ever I am. I'm glad you're here. I'm sure things are not as bad as they seem," placated Olivia, wanting to comfort Fitz.

"No, they really are. I'm kinda glad though. Everything has all been becoming too much to handle. Like I was losing control of my life. I didn't want to go down that path again. But they both just ganged up on me. I can't handle it anymore. Fuck it all," released Fitz.

Olivia moved closer to Fitz, removing the tie that he had loosely hanging around his neck. It looked like a noose. She opened up a few more buttons, and then ran her fingers through Fitz's hair. Fitz just looked at her with his big blue eyes. He looked like a child who had been bullied at school and got beat up.

"You're not 22 anymore. You're a grown man with incredible talent and capability. You can do whatever you want. You don't need Mellie, you don't need Big Gerry, and you don't need any stupid job with crooks in New York," replied Olivia, hoping her pep talk was working.

"I know, but I thought I had moved past this and then I find out I've been played like a puppet all along. It blows. Worse than a kick to the nuts, I tell ya," explained Fitz.

"Oh, no. Not the nuts. I love those nuts, oh, and I love the fishing pole, too," joked Olivia, wanting to lighten the situation.

"Fishing pole?" asked Fitz, laughing at her attempt to be funny.

"Yeah, cause it always reels me in," winked Olivia.

Both laughed at Olivia's lame joke.

After they both stopped laughing, they settle in a comfortable silence. Fitz was glad to have gotten all his pain off his shoulders and Olivia was happy to have been able to make him laugh. They sat back contemplating where to go from there.

"Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?" offered Olivia. It was late and she didn't know what else do say.

"I'm not hungry, honestly. I'm tired and I want to take a bath," answered Fitz honestly.

"Do you have a place to stay?" asked Olivia. She was going to tell him to stay with her, but she didn't want to offer something he would refuse. Olivia couldn't handle anymore let downs on the Fitz front.

"No," bashfully admitted Fitz. He didn't really have plan for going down to D.C. and finding Olivia.

"Good, you're going to stay here," smiled Olivia. She was ridiculously happy at the moment, but didn't let it show.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What about your fiancée?" asked Fitz.

"Well, what about your fiancée?" countered Olivia. Fitz's face instantly fell.

"Right now, I don't think I have one," Fitz honestly admitted. He didn't think he could ever look at Mellie the same way again.

"You need to worry about mine. I definitely think it's a great idea for you to stay here. You need some Olivia therapy. A few days with me and you'll be good as new," teased Olivia. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Fitz came and found her and was now staying with her. After hearing everything he said, it made all the tender love and care that she had in heart for him, rise from the deep place she buried it. This was their second chance. In his moment of need, Fitz came to her. She would take care of him.

Fitz gave Olivia a small smile, nodding his head in agreement that he would stay with her. It was the first time all evening that he had felt like he made the right decision in going to D.C. and finding her.

"Come on, let's start getting ready for bed," instructed Olivia as she got up and wait for Fitz to follow her.

Olivia first went to the bathroom and started spraying it with Scrubbing Bubbles.

"What are you doing?" asked Fitz, confused by her actions.

"You said you wanted a bath, I'm washing the tub," explained Olivia, as if it wasn't obvious by her actions.

"You didn't want to do that," sighed Fitz, feeling bad for having to make her get on her hands and knees to scrub the bathtub.

"Nonsense, I like cleaning. Don't worry about it," placated Olivia, refusing to let him feel bad about wanting a bath.

When Olivia was finished scrubbing the bathtub and rinsing it clean, she flipped the lever under the faucet of the tub and turned on the water, adjusting it water temperature until it was warm enough to her liking. She left the tub start filling and then went into her cabinet to pull out some bath soaps. Olivia sprinkled them into the tub and watched for a moment as the tub started to fill with bubbles. The soothing scent of lavender and jasmine started to fill the bathroom. Olivia grabbed the lighter from the drawer and the candles she had under the sink and placed them around the tub, and then lit them. When everything was done, she moved out of the way and said, "Already."

"Olivia, what have you done?" asked Fitz in awe.

"I got you a bath ready. You said you wanted one and so I made you one," smiled Olivia.

"Olivia, this is too much. When I said bath, I meant shower, I didn't mean for you to go through all this trouble. I mean, I haven't had a bath like this since…" Fitz trailed off, his eyes going far away for a moment.

Olivia knew exactly what moment he was thinking of. The last bath they had together was when they were in Greece, right before they had to part. After a moment, she pulled herself out of her own reverie of the memory and responded. "Listen, it doesn't matter what you meant. This is what you're going to do. Get undressed and climb in that tub and relax. Just let the bubbles wash away all your cares," soothed Olivia.

Fitz didn't respond with words, but instead started getting undressed. When he was done, he shyly stood in front of Olivia, waiting for her to tell him what to do next.

"Get in the tub," she instructed. Fitz got in and sat there, looking up at Olivia. He wanted her in there with him. She knew he wanted her in there with him.

After a few minutes of just staring at each other, Fitz finally broke down and said what he wanted. "Will you come in with me?" he requested in a small voice.

Olivia's heart broke at the request. She had never seen him so shy. Fitz had always been tentative at first, but then assertive as soon as he knew he was doing well. Now, he was shy, like a little boy. It broke Olivia's heart that Fitz who was so smart, so accomplished, was so unsure of himself. Olivia wanted to help Fitz rediscover the man he once was. She was do anything to get him back to the confident man he used to be.

Olivia started taking off her clothes, stripping as sexily as possible for him. When she was naked, she shimmed her breasts for him, as Fitz stared at her with his mouth open. She looked even better than he remembered.

"You like what you see," sassed Olivia.

"Yes," whispered Fitz, still in awe of her.

"Where do you want me? Front or back?" asked Olivia.

"Where ever you want to be," answered Fitz.

"Back then. Scoot forward," instructed Olivia.

Fitz moved forward, making room for Olivia. Olivia climbed in behind him, straddling him from behind. "Lean back," she requested.

Fitz obliged and leaned back. Olivia wrapped her arms around him and ran them soothingly up and down his chest. Fitz closed his eyes and let himself finally relax for the first time in a long time.

After a while, Olivia couldn't help but voice her thoughts. Sitting there with Fitz in her arms took her back to the happiest days of her life. She couldn't hold in her thoughts anymore. She needed to tell him what was going through her head.

"God, I've missed this. I've missed you. So much," professed Olivia softly into Fitz's ear and hugged him closer to her for a moment.

"I have, too," confessed Fitz.

"You've changed," whispered Olivia, not being able to hold back the pain in that realization.

"I have," agreed Fitz.

"I don't think it has been for the better," admitted Olivia.

"I don't think so either," replied Fitz.

"I want you to be the way you used to be. Strong. Confident…" trailed Olivia.

"I am strong and confident," responded Fitz.

"Not the way you used to be. You are only strong and confident in your work. Not emotionally. I'm sorry I did this to you. I regret letting her get between us," cried Olivia as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. She hugged Fitz closer to her and nuzzled her face into his neck, wishing she could undo all the damage that had been done.

"It's okay," whispered Fitz, trying to soothe Olivia. He tried turning to face her, but the tub wasn't wide enough, nor big enough to accommodate that. Instead, he rubbed her cheek, and tried to sooth her. "I'm not as terribly off as you seem to think I am. I'm really proud of everything I've accomplished. Did I ever tell you I flew black ops missions? I was a pilot," shared Fitz, trying to lighten the situation. It hurt his heart to hear Olivia crying over him.

Olivia tried to regain control over herself again, wiping away the tears. "Yeah? When I first read that about you, I was surprised. You hadn't ever mentioned joining the Navy before. It was always being a doctor," responded Olivia, trying to rally for Fitz.

"To be honest, I'm glad I'm not a doctor. I feel like now I would have been stuck just in one place, doing the same thing over and over again. And yeah, medicine and science is cool, but it's kinda redundant. The same problem with the same solution, just the steps to getting to that solution vary. With the Navy, it was a whole new world to explore," explained Fitz.

"Really," responded Olivia, surprised by Fitz's admission.

"Yeah. It made me break out of my shell. I mean after Oxford, I was still super damaged. But, when I was looking at the water, I would feel soothed, like at peace. So, I thought maybe if I embarked on a new adventure at sea, I would start feeling better," continued Fitz.

"And thus, you enrolled," commented Olivia, enjoying that Fitz was sharing a part of himself.

"Yes," laughed Fitz.

"Go on, I want to hear more," encouraged Olivia.

"Well, when you first enlist, they make you take a test. I guess I scored really high on it and then was asked if I wanted to be a pilot. I agreed, because it was the hardest thing they had. You know how I love a challenge. It was great. I was first in my flight class and I got to fly all these different types of planes and jets. It was amazing. Then, they started offering me black ops missions and I agreed to be a part of them because I thought I had nothing else to lose, so if I died, it wouldn't be so bad," admitted Fitz.

"Fuck, Fitz. Seriously, what the hell is the matter with you? You went on suicide missions because you weren't afraid of dying because you were so depressed from our break up?" asked Olivia, shocked by what he just said.

"I'm not going to lie to you, yes. Yes. Yes. I told you I love you with my whole heart. That nothing could keep us apart. I meant every one of those words. Being away from you almost killed me. I spiraled out of control in England. It was ridiculous. I loved you so much. I gave you all of me and when I couldn't be with you, it killed me. It was like someone ripped out my heart. Don't you understand that? You were it for me," claimed Fitz passionately.

Olivia started crying all over again. She wept hard. Her whole body was wracked with sobs. She wrapped her arms tightly around Fitz again, crying onto his neck from behind. This time, Fitz stood up, got out of the tub, and pulled Olivia out. He held her in his arms, hugging her to him tightly, whispering into her ear that she should relax. "All of it is over now. Don't cry anymore for what we lost. We've found each other now, and that's all that matters," he whispered into her ear, trying to soothe her.

Olivia kept crying until she was all cried out. Finally, when she stopped, Fitz let go of her for a moment and grabbed a towel. He dried Olivia off and grabbed her robe that had been conveniently hung on the hook behind the door and wrapped her in it. He then quickly dried himself off and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Olivia had taken care of him when he needed her to, now he was going to take care of her. She had been silent since she finally stopped crying, staring randomly off into space. Fitz picked her up and cradled her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. He left the bathroom and carried her to the first room he came across. Luckily, it was her bedroom. Fitz gently placed her on top of the covers, pulled went around, pulled the other side down, and then pulled Olivia over so she could be underneath them. Fitz then walked around to the other side of bed and got underneath the covers, too. He pulled Olivia over to him, and hugged her body close to his.

"Are you alright?" he whispered into her ear.

Olivia didn't answer. She had left. She had gone somewhere deep in her mind, not being able to handle the pain she put Fitz through. Her mind had shut down. Ever since she had slept with Fitz, she stopped taking her meds. All of them. She felt fine, granted, she had been quite moody, but it wasn't anything too drastic. Yes, she had been obsessing over Fitz, but that was to be expected after what transpired between them. Now, though, now for this type of exact situation was why she was on meds. To keep her from going to such an emotional low, that her mind gave up and went into a depression induced trance. Her brain couldn't handle extreme emotional responses anymore. It couldn't since Fitz was kept away from her when she needed him. Now, this was a consequence Olivia had to pay.

Fitz was scared and just held on to Olivia, whispering "It's going to be alright," in her ear over and over again. He kept hugging her, running his hand up and down her back. Finally, after a while, Olivia fell asleep and Fitz after making sure she was in a peaceful slumber, fell asleep as well.

The next morning, Olivia woke up in the early morning sunshine. She looked around and wondered how she'd gotten to bed. Olivia was still wrapped in Fitz's arms, wearing her robe. She had no idea how she had a robe on. Then it hit her, she escaped when she couldn't stop crying. Olivia felt so embarrassed. She quickly got out of bed and went and took her meds. She didn't want to go off the deep again, at least while Fitz was there. This was about him, not her. Olivia felt foolish for the first time since she got off her meds for actually not taking them. For a moment, she thought she was better, but clearly she wasn't.

Olivia went back into the room and found Fitz still sleeping. She decided to look to see if she could find the box of all his old clothing she had. Olivia could never bring herself to throw away all of Fitz's old clothes that she had kept from when they were together. Even after all these years, those clothes had been the last tangible remnants that had of Fitz and she refused to ever let them go.

Fitz awoke to the sound of something falling and hitting the floor hard. He sat up and found Olivia body on her hands and knees, bent in the closet.

"Olivia? What are you doing?" asked Fitz.

"Oh, you're up! Good morning," smiled Olivia.

"Good morning," smiled Fitz, happy to see that she was back to normal.

"I'm looking for some of your old clothes. You have nothing to wear, so I thought I'd pull them out from storage so you could have something other to wear than a suit," explained Olivia.

Olivia finally found the box and pulled it out. She put it on the chest that the end of the bed. "Here," replied Olivia.

Fitz couldn't believe she still had all this clothes. It was the sweetest thing he could had ever hope to hear from her. He got up and started ruffling through the box. She really did still have everything she took of his. Even his underwear!

Fitz grabbed a pair of underwear and quickly slid them on, glad he could finally get rid of the towel he'd been wearing.

Fitz stood in Olivia's room, in just his boxer briefs and Olivia couldn't believe her eyes. He was still so beautiful to her. It was like they were transported back in time, where waking up together and lounging around in nothing but their underwear, or less, had been normal. She was entranced by him.

Fitz knew Olivia was staring at him and he didn't mind at all. He started to go through the box, looking for something that might fit him now. Fitz was considerably bigger than he used to be, since he started a stricter longer workout regiment since he joined the Navy. Finally, he just gave up and grabbed any tshirt and sweat pants, realizing nothing was going to be big enough for his liking.

Fitz slipped them on, leaving a Olivia with a huge smile on her face. The clothes were tight, but in a good way. Fitz looked amazing. The clothes accentuated his built body. It turned Olivia so on, she blushed and got up and left the room, deciding she needed a few minutes to compose herself by brushing her teeth.

After a few moments, Fitz went over to the washroom, wanting to make sure Olivia was alright. She had left abruptly.

"You okay, Liv?" called Fitz.

"I'm fine. I'm just brushing my teeth. Come on in if you want," responded Olivia.

Fitz decided it was better if he just left her alone and went into the kitchen, wanting to make them a pot of coffee. He started going through her cabinets until he found the coffee. He was surprised to see that Olivia was drinking French roast. Before, she had no preference at all. _"As long as it's not burnt and it's strong – I'm good." _ Fitz quickly pulled himself from his reverie and started filling the pot with water. By the time Olivia came to the kitchen, the pot had already brewed.

"You made coffee?" asked Olivia.

"Yeah," bashfully admitted Fitz.

"Aw, thanks," she smiled, secretly happy that he felt comfortable enough to go through her kitchen without her being there.

"I couldn't help but notice, you had French roast. Any particular reason?" asked Fitz, trying to be nonchalant about it, but really it was his curiosity getting the best of him.

"It's my favorite," answered Olivia, knowing where this was going.

"Really, since when?" continued Fitz, wanting to hear it out loud.

"Since I lost you. Ever since then, anything that reminded me of you became my favorite thing. I drink French roast coffee now. I love egg white omelets with Gruyere cheese and Cremini mushrooms. The oatmeal with no sugar, though, I couldn't do. I have too much of a sweet tooth," laughed Olivia, not minding telling him what she knew he wanted to hear. It was the truth. Olivia tried to move on by holding on to everything she could of Fitz. It was the only way she could survive.

Fitz couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed Olivia and kissed her. He kissed softly and sweetly, trying to convey the tenderness in his heart that had come from her sweet admission. She still loved him. He knew she did. He could feel it.

When her tongue started to gently tease Fitz's lips, he knew it was time to pull away. He had been holding back the passion pent up in him because he didn't want to rush anything with Olivia, nor did he want to jump into anything to make himself feel better. This was their second chance and Fitz refused to ruin it by rushing anything or jumping the gun.

Somehow, Olivia understood this. She didn't feel bad or upset when Fitz pulled away. Olivia read it in his eyes. They were pleading with her to understand the situation, and she did.

Trying to lighten the situation, Olivia teased, "You've got morning breath still."

"Ah, well, I don't have a toothbrush. Not my fault," countered Fitz.

"I've got an extra head for my electric one. I'll give it to you," giggled Olivia, leaving the kitchen to find the extra head.

Olivia found it and left it on the counter, knowing Fitz would go and get washed up after breakfast.

When she went back to the kitchen, she found Fitz had made eggs and was now frying bacon.

"You hate bacon," replied Olivia incredulously, not believing her eyes.

"It's your favorite, so I made it. You're not the only one with a good memory," winked Fitz. "Grab the toast and butter, will you please? I'm almost done. Crispy right?"

"Right," smiled Olivia. Her heart skipped a beat at Fitz's admission.

Olivia grabbed the toast and butter and placed it on the table. Went back and got the eggs, deciding to just get everything ready for their meal. She nabbed the pot of coffee and their cups as well as the pitcher of orange juice she had in the fridge. By the time Fitz came with the bacon, everything was ready for them to eat. It was a sight that warmed his heart. He had never had a breakfast where they made it at home, with a huge spread the way Olivia set it up. It warmed his heart.

"So, what do you want to do?" asked Olivia as they were finishing up.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" countered Fitz.

"Honestly?" questioned Olivia.

"Yes," smirked Fitz, knowing there was a possibility she was about to say something he didn't want to do.

"I want to go shopping and get you clothes. You look like a grown man in a frat boy's clothing. It's funny but so not you," giggled Olivia.

"Hey! I was a frat boy," laughed Fitz.

"I know. But that was TEN YEARS AGO," giggled Olivia. "Plus, we don't know how long your staying and you need clothes that don't fit you so snuggly. You look like the Hulk, right about to rip that shirt in half if you get mad."

"Ah, touché," responded Fitz. "If you that's what you want to do, is take my shopping, then okay, lets do it." He was willing at that moment, with that beautiful smile on her face, to do anything she wanted. It didn't matter as long as they were together.

"Yay! Shopping," laughed Olivia.


	15. Chapter 15

"I feel silly. I'm not wearing these clothes with these shoes," uttered Fitz. They had decided to go shopping but Fitz realized there was no way for him to leave the house in his current state of dress.

"Ah, I remember feeling that exact same way once," winked Olivia.

"That was different. We were in California and if recall correctly, I likened you to CJ from Baywatch. I, on the other hand, look like a homeless person," pouted Fitz.

"Here," said Olivia as she gave Fitz's his suit pants that she just ironed.

"Oh, thank you," replied Fitz, surprised by Olivia's act.

Fitz quickly but his pants on and then looked at Olivia for further instruction. Olivia finished ironing the old button up of his and handed it to him. Fitz put it on but it was clearly too tight.

"If I move the wrong way, I'm going to rip it to shreds," complained Fitz.

"I can't help it if you're huge now. This is all we have to work with unless you want to wear your shirt from yesterday," responded Olivia.

"No, I don't want to wear that shirt. This will work for now. We definitely need to buy clothes," muttered Fitz, as he resided in the fact that he was going to have to wear the tight shirt for a while.

Olivia turned around and took a look at him. The shirt was too small, that was true, but it looked amazing on. It contoured to his body, showing off his physique. Olivia quickly darted her eyes way, knowing she needed to get control over herself. Now was not the time to be fantasizing about Fitz. It was still too early.

"Come on, let's go," replied Olivia as she finished putting on her gym shoes.

"You're going out like that?" asked Fitz, looking at Olivia's outfit.

"What's wrong what I'm wearing?" asked Olivia. She was in her tight workout capris, workout top, and hooded jacket.

It was all clearly very expensive, but still, Fitz pouted because he felt silly all dressed up and Olivia being so casual. "I don't want to be the only one all gussied up," he pouted.

"Oh, relax. Once we find some regular clothes, you can change into those, so you don't have to keep wearing your suit," placated Olivia. Sometimes, Olivia could swear he was a child instead of a grown man.

"Fine," agreed Fitz, letting it go.

"Okay," laughed Olivia. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the apartment so they could get going.

They kept holding hands until they reached her car.

"This is yours," Fitz asked in awe.

Olivia had an Audi Q7. It was a behemoth of an SUV.

"Yupp," smiled Olivia, proud of herself.

"Wow, you did really well for yourself," complimented Fitz.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," replied Olivia. She was happy that Fitz recognized her success.

"I always knew you would do well. But, I'm just really happy to see that you not only did well, but great. I'm really proud of you," replied Fitz, speaking honestly from the heart.

"Thank you," responded Olivia, moved by his words. She had come a long way from being the girl he always had to taken care of. Now, she was taking care of him and she felt great about it.

They both got in the car, with Olivia driving. Now, since they were on her turf, she was going to be in charge. The day was sunny when they finally left the parking garage. Olivia put on her sunglasses and threw a pair of manly ones at Fitz.

"You have men's sunglasses as well?" asked Fitz incredulously.

"I bought them for myself. They are Aviators. I couldn't find a women's pair that fit on my face the way I wanted so I bought these. They should work for you," responded Olivia.

Fitz put them on and when they reached a stoplight, he turned to Olivia and asked, "How do they look?"

Olivia looked at Fitz's face and couldn't believe how sexy he looked. "You look like a pilot," she said in awe.

"I am a pilot," laughed Fitz.

"Yeah, but you look like a badass pilot. Like Tom Cruise from Top Gun," giggled Olivia.

"Lame. Tom Cruise wasn't even a real pilot - he's an actor. Plus, they were Air Force. Navy is way better," sassed Fitz.

"Well, for us "civilians", that's what we would call a compliment. But, now that I take a second look at you, you don't look so badass anymore. More like just plain ass," shot Olivia.

"Okay, okay," laughed Fitz. "I'm sorry. Thank you for the compliment. Just always remember Navy trumps any other armed force."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," smirked Olivia.

The rest of the time they drove in comfortable silence. Downtown D.C. wasn't exactly known for it's great shopping. Plus, traffic down there was ridiculous. It wasn't even worth the effort. There were plenty of things to do down there, just not shop.

After about forty-five minutes, Olivia finally pulled into the mall parking lot.

"We're here?" asked Fitz. He had dozed off and was awakened by the stopping of the car.

"Yup," responded Olivia.

They both got out of the car and stared at each other. Neither knew where to go first.

Finally, Olivia broke the ice. "Shoes or clothes?" questioned Olivia.

"Shoes," laughed Fitz.

His choice did not go unnoticed by Olivia. She knew why he had picked that first.

Olivia started walking towards the mall entrance with Fitz following behind her. When he finally caught up with her, he laced his fingers with hers and said, "Don't go so fast. I'm still dazed from my nap," he laughed.

Olivia was overjoyed by the gesture. She squeezed his hand. Fitz looked down at Olivia and smiled a beautiful radiant smile. It was the first time in a long time Fitz had smiled like that. Olivia was just mesmerized by it. She felt as though her heart would beat out of her chest from that smile.

They went first to the shoe store and bought Fitz about four pairs of shoes. Gym shoes, loafers, slippers, and glorified sandal flip flops. What made the flip flops so nifty was on the under part, where it went up for the arch support on the shoe, there was a bottle opener. As they went to pay for them, the cashier asked for payment tender and before Fitz could even pull out his wallet, Olivia paid for the shoes.

"Olivia, you didn't have to do that," said Fitz as they walked out of the store. He was really embarrassed that she had just paid for him.

Olivia knew he was pouting and she refused to stand for it. "You need to stop. You are here, at my home. When I needed it, you did this for me. Let me do this for you. Let me finally be the one who gets to take care of you. I've never forgotten how you were with me. How you stepped up when things were really bad. Just let me, now that I can, do this for you. Okay? You're hurting my feelings and making me feel terrible for wanting to do something nice for you when you've done a million and one nice things for me."

"But, Olivia, that was a million years ago. I haven't done anything nice for you to be doing this for me now," countered Fitz. He understood where she was coming from, but he still felt bad. Fitz was never used to someone taking care of him like this. He was the one with the ridiculous amounts of money. Money was inconsequential to him.

"I know what you're thinking and stop. It means more that I get to do this now. No offense, but you always had daddy's money back then. I'm not to holding it against you or anything, but now, that I have my own, I want to be able to take care of you, with my own money. Do you understand where I'm coming from?" explained Olivia.

Fitz let Olivia's words sink in. She really did care about him. It was so sweet of her to want to take care of him. Fitz decided he would take Olivia up on her offer. It obviously meant a lot to her and he didn't want to ruin this for her. He understood the importance of the situation. He had felt the same way when he was taking care of her.

"Okay, but nothing too extravagant," conceded Fitz.

"Relax, it's not like we are going to Gucci and buying you a tuxedo for a the ball," teased Olivia.

"Is that your round about way of calling me Prince Charming," smirked Fitz.

"Oh, pipe down. Let's go find you some normal clothes so we don't look so silly together," shot Olivia.

Fitz took the shoe bags from Olivia's hands and carried them both in his one. With his free hand, he grabbed Olivia's and laced their fingers together again. Olivia leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment. Fitz was so moved by the gesture, he turned and kissed her head lightly, laying his on top of hers for a moment. They resumed their normal positions and continued shopping.

Next, they went to buy Fitz some normal clothing. Olivia decided they should be matching and went straight to the workout clothing sections. She bought Fitz a myriad of tshirts, shorts, and pants. At first she made him try on clothes, so she could see what size she liked best on him. Despite Fitz's preference of having the clothing a bit looser, Olivia purchased the sizes she thought he looked best in. It made him laugh. He wasn't going to argue with her. If that's how she wanted him to look, then that's how he was going to look.

Next, they went to the daywear section and Olivia gave Fitz piles of pants to try on. When Fitz came out in the first pair of khakis, Olivia's eyes bulged out of her head.

"Oh my god. You are to never wear khakis again," declared Olivia.

"I agree. I feel like a college kid in them," replied Fitz.

"No, that's not why. Fitz, I can literally see entire outline of Tom. Literally, ALL OF IT. Go back and change before you give everyone a free show," instructed Olivia.

Olivia's cheeks had blushed and now Fitz knew why. "The question is, do you like the show?" countered Fitz. He knew he was being cheeky, but he couldn't help himself.

Olivia knew what he was doing. He was playing with fire. The question now was, would she rise to the occasion?

Olivia pushed Fitz back into his dressing him and pressed him up against the wall. She grabbed hold of his member and said, "It's my favorite, but it's a show that's just for me and not anyone else."

Fitz had gotten so hard from Olivia's declaration, his breathing turned ragged. Olivia could feel the affect she had on him. She ran her hand up and down his staff, squeezed it and let go. Fitz gulped and turned red. Well, she definitely showed him.

Olivia turned around and walked out of his dressing him. She turned her head and smirked at him, seeing that he was still stunned by her actions. "Go try on the next pair of pants," she instructed and took her seat by the mirror.

Fitz closed the door and did exactly what she said. Olivia ended up buying him jeans, shirts, tshirts, dress shirts, undershirts, a suit (Fitz fought her on it but did not win), a jacket, and pants. She even went as far as buying him tons of socks. Not just plain white ones, no those didn't work for her, but socks that matched all his outfits, cashmere ones for when it got cold outside, and cotton ones for working out. Then, she went to buy him underwear. Circling back, she saw a luxurious bathrobe for him and bought it on impulse. Fitz couldn't believe Olivia. They couldn't carry all the bags from all the purchases Olivia made, she had to go get her SUV and park it up so that sales associates could help her put all the bags in the car.

After they finished loading the car, Fitz looked at Olivia and asked, "Okay, are you finally done with me?" His eyes pleaded for her to say yes.

Instead, Olivia responded, "No." She grabbed his hand and took him down to the men's cosmetics.

"What the hell is this? You want me to buy make up?" asked Fitz incredulously.

"No, silly. I wanted to buy you your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hair gel, combs, face wash, and shaving kit," explained Olivia.

"My god woman! You've spent more here today on me than I make in a year, especially with the suit. You don't have to do this Olivia," pleaded Fitz.

"Fitz you bought me EVERYTHING in California, I'm just returning the favor," uttered Olivia, getting sick of having the same conversation over and over again. "I'm going to say this once and then we are not speaking of this again. I am an adult. I am a VERY successful lawyer who works VERY hard and gets paid A LOT of money for the excellent work I do. If I want to spend MY MONEY on you, you could instead of being a whiny baby about it, accept my generosity. Maybe even say thank you and be gracious enough to accept this along with understanding the underlying meaning of it. Instead, you keep looking at this with such a negative light. Stop ruining this for me. I've worked too hard to get to a place where I don't have to ever worry about money. To now have you start worrying for me is insulting. You are ruining this memory for me. Stop it. I want to look back one day and think about how I got to take YOU shopping and buy you EVERYTHING because I had the money and the ability do it. Get it?"

Fitz sat in silence, completely ashamed by his behavior. He just felt so bad about the massive amount of money that was being spent, he never considered the situation from any other point of view. Fitz was very grateful for everything Olivia was doing and truly was enjoying the experience with her. Secretly, he really enjoyed having her fawn over him like this. He had never had someone go shopping for him like this. It had always been either himself or the personal shopper. He liked having Olivia weigh in on what he was wearing.

"I'm sorry," finally apologized Fitz in a small voice.

Olivia pulled Fitz's face so that they could meet. "Look into my eyes. You know how I feel about you. The way I've always felt. The words that we have uttered millions of times to each other. Words that still hold true now. It's still too soon to utter them out loud, but that doesn't mean that those feelings aren't there. Things are not like they used to be. Before I was mad about that, but now, now I'm kind of really glad it's been so long. We are adults now and we can finally have what we've always wanted. Time to be together, just us, with no interruptions. We don't depend on anyone but ourselves. We don't have to answer to anyone but each other. So stop worrying. Let's enjoy our time together now. No worries, okay?"

Fitz nodded and leaned down, giving Olivia a gentle kiss, needing contact with her. She was right. He needed to stop. They were adults. Olivia was a strong independent woman and he was amazed and inspired by her. Fitz needed to stop being so insecure. He never used to be like this. Olivia was creating a safe environment for him where he didn't have to worry about the stability of her feelings. A calm came over him and Fitz realized the meaning behind what she just said. She just told him she loved him and that this was their time. Nothing was going to get in their way this time around. Olivia was not going to let anyone stand in the way of their being together.

Fitz hugged Olivia closely to him. "I get it. I finally get it," he whispered into her ear.

Olivia felt the change that came over him in the way he hugged her. The tension was finally gone. It was as if he had been holding back but now, now it felt like he wasn't holding anything back.

"Let's take a break instead and get a pretzel," suggested Olivia as she pulled away.

"A pretzel? Really Olivia?" laughed Fitz.

"Yes, it just makes everything better. Plus, it's part of the shopping experience. Mall pretzels and then when we are all done shopping - frozen yogurt," giggled Olivia.

Fitz nodded and just let Olivia lead him wherever she wanted. He was done over thinking them. Now, he would just be in the moment and enjoy it.

As they sat eating their pretzels, Fitz watched as Olivia sipped her giant red slushy.

"Really Livvie? You had to get a red slushy?" teased Fitz.

"You know you want some," countered Olivia as she took a swig.

"The only time I remember drinking a slushy and enjoying it was when I was in boarding school and someone had brought back a handle of their dad's rum. We all chipped in and bought a big gulp slushy and mixed the handle of rum with it," shared Fitz.

"How old were you?" asked Olivia, enjoying the story.

"I think we were like thirteen. Anyways, we all got super drunk and most of the boys threw up in the middle of the night. Since we were all in the same dorm, we just blamed it on someone being sick and getting everyone else sick, too. No one was the wiser," smirked Fitz, still proud of himself for not being caught.

"Did you throw up?" asked Olivia.

"Of course not," answered Fitz, putting on his best manly bravado.

"You probably didn't drink much of the slushy, that's why," countered Olivia.

"No, I didn't. Come on Liv – it glows red," explained Fitz.

"God, you were a health nut even as a kid. Dork," laughed Olivia.

"For that, I'm going to make you get me a strawberry banana smoothie," countered Fitz, tickling Olivia's side for making fun of him.

"You want a strawberry banana smoothie, you get a strawberry banana smoothie," cheered Olivia, getting up and walking towards the smoothie stand.

"Liv! Liv! I'm just kidding. I don't want a smoothie," called Fitz, trying to catch up with Olivia. She had conveniently left her slushy next to him, forcing him to stop and clean up their mess before he caught up with her.

It was too late, Olivia got them a smoothie and took the first sip of it. "Mmm, tastes good. Here," said Olivia as she handed Fitz the smoothie.

Fitz smiled at her and took a sip. He liked that they were using the same straw. It was completely juvenile, but it warmed his heart. His mouth was going to be where Olivia's had been.

"So, you wanted a smoothie and you used me as an excuse to get it, huh," teased Fitz as they started walking.

"No, I was tasting it to make sure it was safe. You know, like I always used to. Gotta make sure everything is alright before I give it you," explained Olivia.

Fitz grabbed Olivia and kissed her passionately. He couldn't believe the response she just gave him. Finally, when neither one of them had any air left in them, Fitz pulled away. "I still love you. I don't care if it's to soon to say, but I do. I love who you used to be and I love who you've become. I will always love you, not matter what," professed Fitz.

Tears of joy formed in Olivia's eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop them falling down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Fitz," replied Olivia. She hugged him fiercely, wishing they weren't in the middle of the mall.

After a while, Fitz pulled away again and brought his hands up to Olivia's face. He wiped her tears away and gave her a gentle peck on the lips. "Relax, we've got time now, right? Let's enjoy it. Today, so far, has been one of the happiest days I've had in a very long time. Thank you," admitted Fitz.

Olivia nodded tried to regain control of herself. She just couldn't help her response to his words. Olivia leaned up and kissed Fitz again. She just needed a bit more contact. She hugged him after she pulled away and Fitz started to rub his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. When they were both composed, they went back to the store and finished buying whatever else Fitz needed.

When they were done shopping, both were tired and decided just to go back to Olivia's apartment and relax for a while.

"Can we please go put a load down before we sit?" begged Fitz, not wanting to wear clothes straight from the store.

"I'm already on it. I don't have a washing machine or drier, but there is a laundry service in the basement of the building. They do a good job. Let's go take everything out of the bags, you know take the tags off and out of the packaging and then we can just drop it off. I don't know if everything will be ready by tonight, but for sure tomorrow morning," offered Olivia.

"That's fine. Let's relax and stay in tonight," replied Fitz. "That way I'll just wear what we already have clean and it won't matter."

"Good, I don't feel like going anywhere else," responded Olivia.

"I'm not surprised after the massive amount of shopping you did. Boy, do you have stamina!" laughed Fitz.

"Thank you," smiled Olivia.

It took longer than Olivia expected to get all the clothing ready to take to the laundry service. Olivia was surprised by how much she actually bought. She would need another dresser just for Fitz's clothes. She smiled to herself as she got an idea for what they could do the next day.

After they dropped off the laundry, they got back to the apartment and plopped on the couch.

"So, what do you want to do now?" asked Olivia.

"Sleep," responded Fitz.

"Nope, you slept on the way to the mall and on the way back," countered Olivia.

"Coming from the girl who would fall asleep within five minutes of being in the car," shot Fitz.

"That was different. I needed to get rest. How else was I supposed to have energy for before bed sex if I was tired by the time I went to bed?" questioned Olivia.

"Isn't that reason people go to bed? Because they are tired. If they weren't tired, then they wouldn't go to bed," responded Fitz.

"No, we go to bed to have sex, not to sleep. We go to sleep to sleep," explained Olivia.

"Well, I can't argue with that logic," laughed Fitz.

"I knew you'd see it my way," smirked Olivia.

Fitz pulled Olivia closer to him, not being able to stay away from her any longer. He loved having her in his arms. Touching her, being close to her, feeling the warmth of her body on him. Olivia snuggled into Fitz's arms and hugged him back.

"Let's just spend the rest of the night like this. Okay?" asked Fitz.

"Sounds perfect," replied Olivia.


	16. Chapter 16

As Olivia and Fitz were lounging on the couch, Olivia's phone started to ring. Olivia got up to see who it was, wanting to make sure that it wasn't anything work related.

Name that came across the caller ID screen was not the one she wanted to see.

Olivia debated for a moment and then decided to answer it. If she ignored it, it would probably just make things worse. She grabbed her phone and went into her bedroom, closing the door. Olivia didn't want to be around Fitz when she talked to Edison.

"Edison, how are you?" responded Olivia as she put her phone to her ear.

"Liv, I thought you were coming up this weekend," replied Edison. He was furious with her. Olivia was supposed to be in Providence by noon, it was nine at night.

Olivia had completely forgotten about Edison. The moment she had set eyes on Fitz the previous evening, nothing and no one else mattered. "Oh my god, Edison, I'm so sorry. I thought you got my text. One of my cases had a major set back and I can't leave D.C. I've been working all day," said Olivia, hoping Edison would believe her.

"Oh, Liv. I didn't get any messages. Are you sure you remembered to text me? Or did you forget to press send?" responded Edison.

Olivia paused for a moment as if she was checking her phone. "Oh, shoot. You're right Edison. You know me so well. I texted you but I guess I pressed the exit button instead send," lied Olivia.

"Gosh, I wish I knew. I would have just come down instead. I've been waiting for you all day. I had to go to that town picnic by myself. We were supposed to go together. I'm coming down tomorrow," informed Edison.

"NO!" shot Olivia, before she could stop herself.

"Why? What's wrong? What's going on Olivia?" questioned Edison. He was starting to get the feeling that something was going on that Olivia wasn't telling him.

Olivia could tell he was starting to see through her. She didn't want Edison to come down. This was her moment with Fitz and she refused to let anyone ruin it for them. She took a deep breath and formulated what she was going to tell Edison.

"Edison, nothing is going on. I'm really stressed right now. I'm still at my office working. My client majorly fucked up and I'm scrambling to clean up the mess. I'm nowhere near being finished. I'm probably going to end up working through the night and all of tomorrow. I don't want you to come down here and distract me. You know how I am about my work. Don't come, Edison," spit Olivia, hoping she sounded convincing.

Edison stayed silent for a moment. He could hear how stressed Olivia was. He felt terrible now for being angry with her. Edison knew how Olivia threw herself into her work. Once, they went a month without seeing or talking to each other because she had been so wrapped up in a case. After a while, Edison responded. He made sure to compose himself, not wanting to say anything to further upset Olivia.

"I'm sorry, Olivia. I've just been looking forward to seeing you all day and I got frustrated. I won't come down. I just really miss you, that's all. Days like today, where everyone is in the town square with their families, it made my wish I had one of my own. I wanted you by my side. I understand you have work. I'll wait for your next call. Okay? I promise not to bother you until I hear from you," conceded Edison.

Olivia now felt terrible for what she had done. Edison loved and cared about her and she just lied to him so that she could spend some time with he ex-boyfriend. She felt like a horrible person. "Thank you, Edison. I really appreciate it. You know I wanted to be with you, but I really have to focus on this for a right now. It might be a while until I call you. Okay? Don't read too much into this. I love you," replied Olivia, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I love you, too, Liv. Good night," responded Edison.

"Good night," repeated Olivia and hung up.

The nauseas feeling did not leave Olivia. She threw herself on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What was she doing? She was engaged to Edison. She just lied to him on the phone, while Fitz was in the other room. Olivia could feel herself falling into the abyss of depression the more she thought about the current situation. Today had been one of the most amazing days for her. She got to live out one her fantasies of getting to take Fitz shopping and her buying him everything. They kissed, they said "I love you". Honestly, it had been perfect until reality reared it's ugly head in the form of Edison and interrupted them .

Tears started to running down her cheeks. Things were starting to get out of control.

Fitz had been waiting for Olivia to come back to the couch so they could continue their cuddling session. Earlier, they had changed from their clothes and slipped into lounge wear. They had been sitting in silence, just enjoying being in each others arms. Finally, Fitz decided to go look for Olivia. He found her flopped on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was clear she had been crying.

"Olivia, what's wrong?" asked Fitz as he moved to lay beside her. He ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the remnants of the tears that had been there. Fitz leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, hoping it would make her feel better.

Olivia savored the kiss, using it to remind her why she was putting herself through this. She looked up into Fitz's eyes and she immediately remembered why.

Because this was Fitz. It wasn't just some guy. This was the love of her life. She had been waiting and dreaming for an opportunity like this, for him to come back into her life. This was their second chance and she would do everything in their power to make sure nothing got in their way.

"Nothing," finally answered Olivia.

Fitz pulled Olivia's chin so that she made eye contact with him. "Don't lie to me. Clearly, something's wrong. Tell me," responded Fitz.

"Edison just called me. Apparently, I was supposed to go up to Providence this weekend but I completely forgot. I told him I was working and not to bother me," explained Olivia.

"And now you feel guilty," concluded Fitz.

"That's the thing. I do and I don't at the same time. I'm so happy you are here Fitz. This has been one of the best days I've had in a long time. But, when reality hits, like the realization I'm engaged to Edison, it ruins it. All I wanted was some time for us to find our footing, to enjoy our reunion. I know we still need to talk and I'm eventually going to need to talk to Edison, but I don't want to deal with all that right now. I hate having to lie, but I just want to enjoy this," released Olivia.

Fitz decided not to further comment on the situation. Nothing he said could change the fact that despite everything feeling so right, it was still technically wrong of them. Neither had officially freed themselves from their significant other. It didn't matter if they had a past or feelings for each other. There was a right way to go about this and a wrong way. Clearly they were doing the latter. But, instead of feeling guilty, Fitz just decided to continue ignoring everything.

Fitz leaned down and kissed Olivia again. Olivia responded more passionately to his kiss, wanting to rid herself of any thoughts that weren't Fitz. Fitz kept kissing her while pulling her up on the bed. He broke them apart to adjust Olivia's head comfortably on the pillow. They stared into each other's eyes, seeing love reflected back. Fitz gently held Olivia's face as he leaned down again and started kissing her. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closely to her.

Soon, their passion started to escalate. Olivia's hands started getting restless around Fitz's neck and had delved into his curls. Now, even the curls weren't enough for her. She moved her hands down his body, feeling all the new peaks and valleys. Finally, when she got to the hem of his shirt, she slipped her fingers underneath and started feeling his soft skin. Fitz moaned into Olivia's mouth, enjoying the feel of her fingertips on his flesh. Olivia used the opportunity to sneak her tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss.

The addition of Olivia's tongue caused the kiss to explode between them. Olivia's tongue started to tease Fitz's, enticing him into wanting more. She then started exploring all the nooks and crevices of his mouth, reacquainting herself with the taste of him. He was so delicious. Her hands started getting restless, tracing patterns up and down his torso. She moved them to his back, feeling the incredible strength of him under her fingertips.

Fitz groaned at the feel of Olivia's touches. She was driving him insane. Between her hot tongue and erotic touches, Fitz was starting to lose his mind. He tried to keep up with her mouth, giving and taking, as his fingers trailed over her body. His hands were also starting to get restless with the barrier of her shirt. Fitz finally decided to mimic Olivia and put his fingers under her shirt. Like an electric shock, Olivia felt jolted when Fitz's fingers made contact with her skin. She arched her body into his touch, needing to feel more of him.

Fitz became confident his touch and started tracing patterns all over Olivia's abdomen. She felt so silky soft. His hands started the ascension up the path to her twin peaks. Fitz couldn't control it. It was his go to on her body. Right when his fingers were on her ribs, underneath her breasts, Fitz paused for a moment, wanting to make sure it was alright.

Olivia sensed the meaning behind the pause and whimpered. She wanted to feel his hands on her breasts. Olivia dug her nails into his back, trying to urge him to continue. Fitz laughed as he kept kissing her, getting a kick out of Olivia's reaction. He still didn't move his hands, wanting to build the anticipation up further. Finally, Olivia couldn't handle it any further and arched her back up, hoping his hands would fall into place.

They didn't.

Instead, Fitz pulled his mouth away and stared deeply into Olivia's eyes. He slowly started moving his hands over her breasts and squeezed them. Olivia closed her eyes and threw her head back in ecstasy, enjoying the feeling of Fitz's hands on her. Fitz was so turned on by her response. It was amazing to him how just his hands on her breasts could bring her so much pleasure. He loved it. The only thing ruining the moment was that they both still had their shirts on and Olivia was still wearing a bra.

As if reading his mind, Olivia sat up and started pulling off Fitz's shirt. Fitz moved with her, allowing to her rid him of his shirt. Olivia started tugging on the waistband of his pants, wanting to rid him of those, too.

Fitz paused for a moment. "Are you sure it's a good idea to take off the pants, too? We aren't moving too fast?" asked Fitz.

"All I know is I want those pants off. I don't know if we are moving too fast or not, I need to feel you. Let's keep the underwear on and we'll see from there. Sounds good?" compromised Olivia.

"Okay," agreed Fitz. He moved his hips and allowed for Olivia to push his pants down his legs. Fitz then started to get to work on Olivia's clothing. In one quick swoop, he pulled her shirt off. She was left sitting there in her sexy white lacy bra. He took a moment to enjoy the view and then leaned in, kissing her again as he started to unhook her bra. As he got it down her arms, he pulled back again, mesmerized by the sight before him.

Olivia's breasts were amazing. Her nipples were hard, poking out towards him, begging for his touch. His mouth opened unconsciously, so turned on by her breasts. They looked bigger than what he remembered. His hands quickly shot up to them and started squeezing and massaging them. Olivia threw her head back and moaned and the feeling. Her breasts were aching for his touch. The pleasure that was coursing through her was like pure ecstasy. It had been so long since she had been so turned on.

Fitz's mouth attacked to Olivia's neck, moving his body down hers, so that he could trail a path from her neck down to her chest. Olivia started thrusting her chest upwards, wanting him to focus his attention on the place that wanted it the most. Her nipples.

Fitz had trailed down her chest, but he kept teasing her by kissing the valley in between her breasts. In then moved lower, trailing kisses along her rib cage while he moved his hands off her breasts to the side of her ribs. Olivia was aching for him to give attention to her breasts. Finally, after enough mewling and whimpering, Fitz gave in to Olivia's wants. He started licking the underside of her breast, circling around the whole thing, going closer and closer with the tip of his tongue towards her pointed peak and then pulled away. Olivia let out a loud groan. He had been so close.

Fitz looked up and smirked at her. He knew what he was doing. Fitz turned his head and went to the other breast, this time placing his tongue on the side of her breast and circling in until he got to the middle. Olivia's hands shot into Fitz's hair, trying to push him down to the place she wanted him the most. But, he wouldn't budge.

"Please, please," Olivia started begging when Fitz started trailing kisses down the plane of her abdomen. When he got to her bellybutton, she screamed, "NO! Not there. Go up. My breasts, please my breasts."

Fitz laughed and finally obliged Olivia. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, causing Olivia to jolt off the bed and let out a long loud moan. Fitz smiled and bit down on her nipple in response. Olivia jerked up her hips again, feeling the electricity down in her core.

"Off, I need them off," panted Olivia as she tried to lift her hips and push her pants down. Fitz obliged and helped her get her pants off as quick as possible.

As soon as they were gone, Olivia pulled Fitz back down to her breasts, wanting him to resume his previous ministrations. It has been so long since she felt this good, she was nowhere close to being done him. Fitz kept sucking and kissing her breasts, alternating between the two. When Olivia would buck up hard, he would purposely bite down hard on her nipple. His hands kept caressing her ribs and abdomen, every now and then dipping lower and getting dangerously close to her aching core.

Olivia's hands just kept running the path from Fitz's hair down all the way to his ass. She kept squeezing his luscious behind, enjoying how he would bite down on her when she squeezed hard. Her legs were open wide and Fitz was crouched in between them, worshiping her peaks. Olivia was started to get so close to her release. She wanted Fitz so badly. Her panties were completely soaked through.

"Oh my god, Fitz, I need you. I need you in me. Please," begged Olivia, no longer caring about anything else but the throbbing between her legs. It just had been so long since she wanted sex this bad. She didn't care if it was too soon, Olivia wanted him in her.

Olivia dipped her hands into Fitz's underwear and starting grabbing his flesh. She kept trying to push his hips into her so that could connect and give her throbbing pussy some attention.

Fitz had a war going on inside his head. On one hand wanted to continue things with Olivia and join their bodies together, on the other, he knew they were moving too fast. It probably was not a good idea to have sex right that moment. But, when Olivia broke down and literally ripped his underwear off him and grabbed hold of his rock hard cock, he knew there was no longer a choice in the matter. He had to have her.

Olivia started to guide Fitz's hard cock towards her core until she realized she still had her panties on. "Take them off me, please," she begged. Fitz tried to lower them, but her hips had a mind of their own. They didn't want to move in any way except thrusting upward, looking for contact with Fitz's erection. When Fitz couldn't get them off fast enough, Olivia yelled, "Fuck it! Just rip them off!"

So, Fitz ripped them off her. Instantly Olivia thrust her hips up while grabbing his cock and joined her body to his. Her eyes rolled back in bliss. This, this is what she had been craving and it felt so damn good. Fitz started thrusting in a deep rhythmic pace, making sure he was in to the hilt. Olivia kept meeting each thrust in perfect timing, wanting to take all of him in. She kept moaning in pleasure, getting louder and louder the closer she got to her climax.

Olivia wanted to feel Fitz's mouth on hers and so she laced her fingers through his curls again and brought his mouth down to hers. She started kissing him, mimicking what was going on with their hips, in their mouths. Olivia kept plunging her tongue into his mouth over and over again, feeling the pleasure down in her core as she kissed him. 'God, had sex always been this good?' she thought to herself.

Fitz hands had been holding Olivia's hips as he was thrusting into them. He had cupped her ass, squeezing it and enjoying it, realizing it too had gotten bigger. Fitz loved it. His Olivia now was even sexier than she had been ten years ago. He still loved her and they still made love as good as they used. Right at that moment, though, it felt better than anything else he could remember. He moved one hand up from her luscious globes, up to his favorite peaks. Fitz grabbed one of Olivia's breasts and started kneading and squeezing it, making sure to give attention to her nipples too.

Olivia moaned in response, bucking her hips harder into him. She was so close she could feel it. She needed a little extra something. Fitz moved his head down when Olivia released it to moan and took the other nipple back into his mouth. He sucked, then thrust into her hard, and then bit down. Olivia exploded. He always knew exactly how to play her body to give her an amazing climax.

Fitz kept thrusting into her, wanting to give her as much pleasure as possible. He could feel her orgasm quaking through her as she clenched his cock tighter. Finally, when he felt her pussy relax, he knew she was done. Fitz didn't need much to finish. He pumped into Olivia a few more times, getting ready to go over the cliff, but then Olivia smacked his ass hard, and he came instantly. He jerked a few times, letting himself go deeply in her.

Fitz collapsed onto of Olivia with the feeling of euphoria running through his veins. That had been amazing. He hadn't been expecting for it to happen to soon again between, but my god, they were so good together, he was glad it did. Fitz moved to roll off Olivia, afraid of crushing her, but she wrapped her arms and legs around him, not wanting him to move.

"Please, let's stay like this for a while. You know it's my favorite," whispered Olivia, her voice hoarse from all the moaning. She felt amazing. The feel of Fitz's body on top of hers was like heaven. She missed having the weight a man's body on top of her. Despite Edison's best intentions, he never felt good in her or on top of her, so she always made sure he rolled off. Now, finally with Fitz, she wanted to him to stay on her so she could enjoy the feel of him. Her hands kept running up and down his back, soothing the adrenaline that had just been coursing through him. Olivia had felt soothed by the weight of Fitz's body and she hoped her touch would make him feel the same way.

Fitz nuzzled his head into the nook between her shoulder and neck. He breathed in deeply, wanting her scent to fill his nostrils. Fitz kissed her shoulder and relaxed into her body. After a while, Olivia stopped running her hands up and down his back and just hugged one arm around his back and threaded her other hand through his hair. She kissed him lovingly on the head, whispering, "That was phenomenal. I love you. Thank you," into his ears.

"I know it was. Thank you. I love you so much," responded Fitz, lifting his head up to kiss her lips. They shared a gentle peck, not being able to do much more since they had just worn themselves out.

"Are you cold?" asked Olivia, wanting to make sure Fitz was comfortable.

"Are you?" countered Fitz.

"No, not as long as you stay on top of me. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable," replied Olivia.

"I'm fine. Don't worry, but just in case, I'll throw the blanket over us," responded Fitz, as he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them.

Fitz tried to roll over again so that they could fall asleep holding each other, but Olivia refused to let him go. "I want to sleep with you on top of me," she explained. Fitz smiled and nodded, knowing her preference to sleep still joined. He wrapped his arms around her and let himself be carried away off to sleep.

They slept the whole night through, exhausted by their long day, emotional revelations and physical loving making.


	17. Chapter 17

Fitz felt the sun shining on him, pulling him from his deep slumber. He tried to fight it, wanting to stay asleep longer, but it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. Fitz opened his eyes and looked around, confused for a moment, and then remembered. The previous night had not been a dream. It was real. Olivia's head was resting on his chest, while an arm and a leg were wrapped around him. He had both his arms around her, hugging her closely to him. Fitz lay back into the pillows, wanting to enjoy this moment of heaven.

Ten years.

Ten years it had taken them to get back to this place. Fitz breathed in deeply, feeling the happiness that started in his heart and emanated through his whole body. This was the way life was supposed to be. He was to wake up every morning feeling this way. Light hearted, joyful, happy. Fitz looked down at Olivia again and smiled. She had her hand over his heart, clutching him closely to her. He nuzzled and kissed her head, just loving her.

Fitz kept watching Olivia sleep for a bit. After a while though, he couldn't help himself anymore. He wanted Olivia again. He needed that physical manifestation of their love. Fitz gently rolled Olivia off of him and onto her back. He started gently kissing her neck, running a gentle trail of kisses up her neck to her ear, back down, across her collar bone, up the other side of her neck, and around the other ear. Fitz's hands had gently rested on Olivia's hips, now started to caress them, running in smooth circles.

Olivia was being pulled from her slumber by an incredible pleasure. She was having the most amazing dream and didn't want to wake up from it. In her dream, she had made love to Fitz and they were cuddling together in bed. Olivia wanted to stay in Fitz's arms forever. But, something kept pulling her away from him. Finally, Olivia opened her eyes to find Fitz trailing kisses across her chest and kneading her breasts. It wasn't a dream! Fitz was really there with her. They had made love and now it looked like Fitz wanted to make love again.

"Oh, Fitz," Olivia moaned as she clenched Fitz's curls in her hand. She pressed his head down, wanting him to move his attention further down her chest. Olivia bucked up her hips into him when he obliged her request and took a nipple into his mouth. She had felt that jolt straight in her core and was in desperate need for more contact.

Fitz kept teasing her, enjoying how her body was responding to his ministrations. What he especially loved, though, was how quickly her body responded to his touch. As he moved his hand back down her body, wanting to give her some relief since she kept bucking up, Fitz slipped his fingers between her folds and found her so wet.

"Oh, baby. You're so ready," he whispered, getting even further turned on by her wet state.

"God, Fitz. It's because it's you. I love you. I want you," pleaded Olivia. She couldn't handle his touch anymore, she wanted him in her.

"I love you, too," professed Fitz as he leaned down and finally joined his mouth with Olivia's. They kissed passionately, feeling the love they had for each other in their kiss. Fitz removed his hand from his teasing ministrations and aligned himself to enter Olivia.

As Fitz eased in, he savored the sensation. Fitz took it slow this time, wanting to luxuriate in the feeling of making love to Olivia. Last night had been amazing, but now, now he wanted to take his sweet time. They were in no hurry this morning.

Olivia let Fitz set the pace. Being sore from the night before, she was enjoying his slow languid strokes. It was a soft building, where each thrust was an I love you. Their mouths stayed glued together, needing to feel each other's lips.

Finally, Olivia felt herself falling off the cliff into the abyss of her orgasm. Her entire body shook as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her. "I love you," she mouthed, no longer able to speak because of the pleasure.

"I love you, too," responded Fitz as he watched Olivia in awe. He leaned down and kissed her gently. Olivia held his head as she returned his kiss a whole new level of passion. She wanted to show him how good he was making her feel. Olivia erotically stroked Fitz's tongue with her own, igniting Fitz's orgasm. Fitz could still feel Olivia clenching threw her own orgasm as he was going through his own.

When they were both done, Fitz slow withdrew from Olivia, then slowly rolled over, bring her with him, so that she could rest on top of him. He wanted to keep her close to him.

"That was so good," whispered Olivia, still not able to find her voice. "Best wake up call ever."

Fitz laughed at Olivia's praise. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, because I sure did," he responded, accentuating his words with a gentle kiss on the top of Olivia's head.

Olivia just squeezed Fitz's body in response and hummed, wanting to rest a bit from their activities. Despite having a restful sleep, Fitz had just completely worn her out. She drifted slowly back into slumber as Fitz just watched her. He couldn't believe how lucky he was at the moment. The love of his life was back in his arms. In that moment, he knew there was nothing he would ever let keep them apart again.

…

Olivia woke up later in the morning, still wrapped in Fitz's arms. Fitz had fallen back asleep as well, and now it was Olivia's turn to watch him sleep. For some reason, he reminded her of Sleeping Beauty, waiting to wake up from true love's kiss. The way the sun was shining on his face, illuminating the perfect features of his face. Olivia just watched him sleep for a while until the urge to kiss him overcame everything else. She leaned up, gently placing her lips on top of his.

Fitz smiled in response. He had felt Olivia shift as she woke up, pulling him from his slumber. Fitz had decided to keep his eyes closed, hoping he could fall back asleep, but it didn't happen. He felt Olivia's gaze on him. Since he had watched her sleep earlier, he decided to let her watch him now. When Olivia ran her fingers through his hair, he felt the love in her heart for him. Her kiss was to be expected. He couldn't help it, of course it made him smile.

"So, you're up," teased Olivia as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

Fitz kept his eyes closed and shook his head. "I don't want to wake up yet. I'm afraid to leave this bed and find out everything was just an amazing dream."

Olivia leaned down and kissed him again. "I feel the same way, but I need to take a shower," said Olivia.

"Do you need some help?" smiled Fitz.

"Of course," smirked Olivia as she started sitting up. "How am I suppose to wash my back? I can't reach."

A huge grin came over Fitz's face at Olivia's joke. He watched as she slowly got out of bed, moving at a snail's pace. It looked odd. When Olivia finally started walking, Fitz saw that she was waddling. "Olivia, what's wrong? Why are you walking like that?" asked Fitz, the concern clear in her voice.

Olivia looked over her shoulder for a second, long enough for Fitz to see her cheeks blushing red. She kept walking towards the door, grabbing her robe before she opened it. She mumbled something, but Fitz didn't catch it.

"What's wrong? I didn't hear you. Are you okay?" repeated Fitz as he got out of bed. He turned Olivia around and watched as she winced. "Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I'm sore," admitted Olivia, her cheeks turning even redder now that Fitz was right in front of her.

"You're sore? Really?" asked Fitz, surprised.

"I don't normally have back to back rounds of sex," shyly admitted Olivia.

Talking about Olivia's sex life was not something Fitz wanted to do ever, but his curiosity got the best of him and he couldn't help what came out of his mouth. "Don't you have sex with your fiancé?"

Olivia's face turned a whole new color all together. "God, I don't want to talk about this right now," whined Olivia.

Fitz nodded, embarrassed for asking the question. He felt bad, he wanted to do something to help Olivia. Fitz had never seen her like this. He got an idea.

Fitz shot to the washroom before Olivia could even realize what was going on. He checked the tub and turned on the hot water, wanting to create a soothing bubble bath for Olivia, just as she had for him. He knew after working out real hard, nothing felt better than a soak in hot water. By the time Olivia got to the bathroom, she found everything ready and waiting for her. Fitz even lit candles.

"I hope this helps," Fitz shyly said. He felt terrible seeing Olivia waddle because of him.

"Oh, Fitz," whispered Olivia, touched by his thoughtful gesture. Olivia took off her robe and got into the tub, wincing a bit as the hot water enveloped her. After sitting back and relaxing a moment, she felt the water start to soothe the ache. Fitz just kept standing there, watching her, as if in a mesmerized trance. Olivia looked up and saw him staring at her with his mouth open. She knew she couldn't leave him out there. Olivia wanted him to join her and hold her while they both relaxed and enjoyed the bath.

"Come on in," requested Olivia.

Fitz looked at her, wavering for a moment. He wanted her to relax and feel better. It was about her, not him.

"Are you sure?" asked Fitz.

"I want you to come in and hold me. That's the best way I can think of to relax. Otherwise, I'm just going to be looking at the time, wanting to get out so I can go be with you," responded Olivia.

That assuaged Fitz's worries. He smiled bashfully and gestured for Olivia to scoot forward. He got in behind her and wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled into his chest.

"Ah, much better," smiled Olivia after they were all settled.

Fitz smiled and nodded, enjoying having Olivia in his arms once again. "I'm sorry," he whispered again as he kissed her head.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just…" Olivia trailed, still embarrassed by talking about such things. Its just things were different this time around. Before she had no problem talking or teasing Fitz. When they were together, he had made it a point to always tell each other what they think and feel.

"Tell me," encouraged Fitz.

"Listen, after the whole…event… I couldn't even look at anyone, let alone think of … being intimate with anyone. It took me a really really long time to get back to a good place with myself. I just focused on school. I mean I had male friends and I know they were interested, but I always kept things friendly. Even all through law school, I didn't look at anyone else. I just couldn't. I put all my energy into school and work and pushed men to the side. I had been friends with Edison for a really long time before anything ever transpired between us. He was nice and patient and never tried anything. So, when we bumped into each other in D.C., it was nice to see an old friend. First, we hung out, going to events, being each other's dates and stuff, and after a while, it was just to easy to be around him. He never expected anything from me and he always put me first. I made him wait a year after we started dating officially until we became intimate," admitted Olivia.

Fitz breathed in deeply. It was hard for him to hear this. In the back of his head, he felt awful at the moment for Edison. Edison hadn't done anything wrong towards Olivia to deserve her cheating on him.

As if reading Fitz's mind, Olivia decided to continue, not wanting to leave things there. "The first time was terrible. I mean horrible Fitz. Like I hadn't had sex in so long, but come on now, I don't think I've ever had it be that bad. I just wasn't into it. By the end of the night, I was ready to break up with Edison because I never wanted to sleep with him again," confessed Olivia.

Fitz swallowed hard. "Why was it so bad?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"I don't know. I like wasn't into it. He couldn't pick up my body's ques. The worst thing was he didn't even realize it. At one point, I decided to start faking it just so he could finish. Well, it worked and he did. I called my mother the next day to tell her I was breaking up with him, but she talked me into staying with him. She said sex was not the most important thing between a couple and that Edison was a good man and I probably wouldn't find someone as good as him, which she was right. I knew I wouldn't have lucked out with anyone as good as Edison. So, I stayed. Luckily, he lives primarily in Providence and I'm in D.C. At first he thought there was something wrong, but I just told him I'm not that sexual of a person… blah blah blah… placated him with words and here we are today. Faking orgasms and getting out of having sex by hiding condoms. Ironically, he still has yet to pick up on it. Sex with you is different. It's so good, but my body isn't acclimated yet. I'm not as limber as I used to be," finished Olivia.

Olivia had no idea what possessed her to tell Fitz the whole story. As they sat in silence, she started worrying about what she said. "Fitz?" she asked, needing some sort of response from him.

"I look or sleep with anyone until about two years ago," admitted Fitz. He felt terrible for Olivia. "Mellie… she just had always been there… and after finishing law school and living in New York, I finally felt like I was doing something, being someone. I no longer felt so empty and she was there. She was fun, we went out with friends, drank, had a good time. She was so competitive and smart. It was nice having someone push you to succeed. I mean it wasn't like we had amazing sex or anything, but I guess I just could with her. It's not often, but it happens," said Fitz, giving Olivia a peak into his life.

"I'm not judging," spoke Olivia, wanting Fitz to know whatever they told each other was in confidence and safe. But honestly, Olivia felt comforted by Fitz's admission. It was sort of nice to know that she wasn't the only affected in that arena.

"I'm not either. It sucks to fake orgasms. I would be pissed as hell if you ever did that to me," countered Fitz.

"Well, luckily, your smart enough to know. Edison… he's a good guy… it's just… I don't know…" trailed Olivia.

"You know we didn't use a condom, right?" said Fitz, wanting to make sure Olivia was aware of that.

"I know. But honestly, it's you. I know that sounds really stupid, but when it comes to you, everything just flies out the window. But, please tell me you're clean," responded Olivia.

"I'm clean. I feel the same way. I always wear a condom with Mellie. I don't know. I know she's on something, but I just can't risk the chance of baby," replied Fitz.

"Hey, I can tell you from experience- you're right. That's why I always make Edison wear a condom. I mean, I'm on birth control, too, but still I don't want to risk it again. I don't want a baby right now either," countered Olivia.

"I meant I didn't want a baby with Mellie. I would love to have a baby with you," admitted Fitz.

Olivia's heart stopped with Fitz's admission. She couldn't believe he had just said. Tears formed in her eyes. Despite everything that had happened between them, those words were the most beautiful words he had uttered to her other than "I love you."

Olivia was too quiet for Fitz's liking. He knew he was jumping the gun with what he just said and was now freaking out by Olivia's silence. He probably took the conversation to a place it shouldn't have gone and he instantly regretted speaking those words out loud.

"Listen Olivia, I'm sorry I said that. I should have never assumed that you would want to have a baby with me after what happened. I wasn't thinking, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," begged Fitz.

"No, no, that's not it. Relax. You just made me ridiculously happy with those words. Thank you. I love you. That just ended ten years of heart ache," responded Olivia, turning her head. She needed to make eye contact with Fitz so that he could see she really meant it.

Fitz joined his mouth with Olivia's, needing to seal those words with a kiss. Relief washed over him. Fitz felt the ridiculous happiness Olivia had spoken of. He gave her a heart stopping smile. Olivia smiled back with one of her own. They settled back to their original position, silently mauling over what just transpired between them.

Finally, Fitz broke the silence. "I want to do things right Olivia. I love you. I want to be with you. There is no doubt in my mind you are it for me. I want to marry you, have you be the mother of my children, build a life together. But, I just quit my job, I'm still engaged to Mellie, and my father wants me to run for governor. I'm not in the best of situations. I understand if you don't want to be together now. It's fine if you want to wait until I'm on steadier ground to be together."

Olivia let Fitz's words sink and thought them over. She did want to be with him, but they had a lot to overcome before that could happen. Marriage and a family was not something she necessarily needed at that moment. That could come later. When it really came down to what she really wanted, Olivia just wanted Fitz. Everything else was extra.

"I think you need to establish yourself away from your father. You told me when you got here that he was the one who got the job for you with McNamara. Fitz, from my understanding, you could have gotten a job anywhere, least of all with McNamara's office. If I were you, I kinda would be angry with Big Gerry for interfering in my career and taking away those opportunities. You probably would have been able to get a job anywhere and now those opportunities aren't as readily available. If you want to be governor, hey, that's great. But that's a lot to take on if you aren't ready for it. So, the question really is – what do you want to do?"

Fitz sat silently, mulling over what Olivia just said. The reality of her words did come crashing down on him. Big Gerry had taken away any opportunities Fitz would have had that were based on his merit alone. Fitz had graduated first in his class at Yale and could have gone anywhere to work. Anger started to boil in his blood the more and more Fitz realized he had been set up. The "internship" at the mayor's office during his final year of school, which he took upon Big Gerry's encouragement, instead of going to D.C. like he had wanted.

Olivia could feel Fitz's anger through the tenseness in his body. She needed to help him snap out of it. Dwelling on the problem isn't a way to fix it. "Do you want to work in the public sector or the private?" shot Olivia, wanting to divert Fitz from whatever he was thinking.

"I don't know," admitted Fitz.

"Okay, then I know what we'll do. Forget about it. Take a break. You don't need to decide anything at the moment. From what I can tell, you've been going nonstop on a path leading to nowhere. You're here with me now. You don't have to go anywhere, you don't have to do anything. Take this time now to find yourself. See if you still want to be a lawyer. Maybe go back to school? Find what you really want to do with yourself and then we'll move forward from there," declared Olivia.

Fitz sat silently again, trying to make a decision what Olivia just said. She was right. But, Fitz still had a nagging feeling. He didn't want to just sit and not work. He also didn't want to take any more money from his father. "I don't want to use my father's money," said Fitz, voicing the battle that was going on inside.

"Okay, you don't have to. Didn't you say you were in the military? Didn't they pay you? Did you cash in on any of your benefits?" inquired Olivia, wanting to show Fitz he had other avenues to take.

"Oh, I never thought of that. No, I never used any of that. Never needed to," responded Fitz.

"Okay, well, you have that. So, school is also taken care of with that. I mean how many years were you in the service?" asked Olivia.

"Four," answered Fitz.

"Okay, you have four years of salary for being a pilot, right?" countered Olivia.

"Right," agreed Fitz.

"Well, there you go. You use that until you figure out what you want to do. In the mean time, start being active. Go to discussions, visit with old professors and see if any of them can give you direction, read, get involved in something that matters to you," said Olivia, hoping her words inspired something within him.

The wheels in Fitz's mind started to turn. Olivia was lighting up a fire inside him. He could do that. Take the time and find himself. Establish himself away from his father. He didn't have to be governor now. Fitz didn't have to do anything at all. He would take Olivia's advice and take the time to find what he liked.

"I like helping people," said Fitz.

"Okay, so help them. How do you think you could achieve?" questioned Olivia, wanting to push him.

"I've done a lot of research on public policies and economics. I've published a few papers," started Fitz.

"Okay, do you think you could do anything with that?" continued Olivia.

"Yes," answered Fitz.

"Okay, great. What can you do?" asked Olivia.

"I don't know. Something. Maybe influence policy makers here. Draft possible legislation that could impact they way lawmakers view current laws and their effects on the people and the economy," replied Fitz.

"Then, I think we found what you're going to do with yourself," smiled Olivia.

Fitz leaned back and thought to himself. Olivia was right. He could make it on his own and it wasn't as difficult as he was making it to be. Fitz smiled. Maybe things were going to get better.

…

"I want to go to yoga," said Olivia as she was putting on her clothes.

They had finished their bath and then taken a shower, wanting to get scrubbed clean. In Olivia's book, a bath only soaked and relaxed, it didn't clean. Fitz in his good mood took Olivia again in the shower, telling her he wanted to make sure she was dirty enough to warrant a shower. As the water pounded her back, Fitz took Olivia's from behind, as she held herself up against the wall. Fitz's strokes were strong and confident, signifying how he was feeling after their discussion.

Olivia thoroughly enjoyed their shower round of lovemaking. Ironically enough, she wasn't so sore afterwards. Either way, she wanted to go do some yoga so that she could limber up a bit.

"Yoga?" asked Fitz. Fitz was all about working out, but he had never done yoga.

"Yoga," repeated Olivia. "You're coming with me."

"I've never done it. I'll come with to the gym," answered Fitz, hopeful Olivia would rather go there instead of yoga.

"You've lucked out. Yoga is at the gym. Let's go do yoga and then we'll work out," compromised Olivia.

"Or, we could work out and then do yoga," countered Fitz.

Olivia was seeing that yoga and Fitz were not something that were going to mix. "Wanna go for a run at the National Mall instead?" asked Olivia, remembering Fitz liked to run.

"From your place to the mall?" asked Fitz, liking the possibility.

"Yup, and I want to go all the way down it. From the Capital building down to the Lincoln Memorial, around the White House, and back," replied Olivia, loving the look of excitement on Fitz's face.

"Yes, definitely," responded Fitz, excited about the opportunity to go exercise. Fitz hadn't exercised in two days and was jonesing to go workout. A long run would definitely give him his exercise fix. "Are you sure you can handle it? You aren't too sore?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I still exercise regularly, too. Plus, if it gets to be too much, I'll just make you carry me," smirked Olivia.

"No problem," smiled Fitz.

"And then we can go do yoga as a cool down," concluded Olivia.

"Fine, we'll go do yoga afterwards as a cool down," agreed Fitz. He knew this way they both got what they wanted.

Fitz realized his clothes were still down in the laundry service. "Liv, I don't have any clothes. Are they open on Sundays?" asked Fitz.

"I'll go down and get them for you," responded Olivia.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can go down," countered Fitz.

"No, no, it's okay. It makes no sense to put on clothes that don't fit just to take them off in five minutes. Wait a second and I'll be back," replied Olivia.

After Olivia left, Fitz checked his iPhone to make sure he had enough battery left to last his run. He had all his music on his phone. Fitz hadn't looked at his phone since he had stepped foot in Olivia's apartment. It was dead. Fitz went and plugged it in, letting it charge a bit so it could turn back on. When it did, Fitz wished he had never touched it.

Fitz had twenty missed calls. Seventeen were from Mellie and three were from Big Gerry. Clearly, Mellie had talked to Big Gerry. There was one voicemail. Fitz knew that was definitely from Big Gerry. He wasn't in the mood to kill his joy with a message from Big Gerry. Knowing it was better to just listen to it and get it over with, Fitz put the phone up to his ear and bit the bullet.

_"Fitzgerald, you better get your whiny ungrateful ass back here. I don't give a shit if your feelings were hurt because your daddy helped you get a job. I talked to McNamara and he's willing to let Friday go. Get your ass back to New York ASAP because you've got work Monday and the hell I'm going to let you embarrass us because you finally decided to grow a pair."_

'Ah, there's the Big Gerry I know,' humorlessly laughed Fitz to himself. It had been a long time since he had seen this side of Big Gerry. It had also been a long time since Fitz had gone against Big Gerry. Fitz refused to go back to McNamara's office. He refused to work for a crook.

Fitz looked over Mellie's text messages. First asking where he was, then saying she understood he needed some space, then finally threatening to call Big Gerry. Well, she had clearly had done that. Fitz had still yet to feel the real repercussions of his time with Olivia. He refused to at that moment. Fitz was not going to deal with Mellie or Big Gerry until he was ready. He thought about sending Mellie a quick text but decided just to leave her. She had made her bed by going and crying to Gerry, now she could sleep in it for a while. Fitz turned off the screen and threw the phone back on the bed, letting it charge. He went into the kitchen, turned on the coffee and looked for something light to eat so that he had some fuel for his run.

Olivia came back into the apartment to find Fitz sitting at the kitchen table in a daze. Something was wrong, she knew it.

"Fitz? What's the matter?" asked Olivia, her concern for him evident in his voice.

"Nothing. I went to charge my phone and saw all the missed calls and messages," responded Fitz.

Olivia instantly knew Fitz must have heard from his father. He was clearly dwelling on whatever his father had said. She didn't want him to focus on that at the moment. Instead of forcing Fitz to tell her what was wrong, she walked on over to him, grabbed his head with one hand and pulled her v neck tshirt down, sticking his face between her breasts. She shimmied a little bit and pulled his head back out, looking up at him. "Better?" she asked with a giggle.

"You think rubbing your tits in my face will make my feel better?" asked Fitz with a small smirk.

"Yes," cheekily responded Olivia.

"Well, you're right," agreed Fitz as he pulled Olivia back over to him, yanked down her shirt again and popped a breast into his mouth. He sucked on Olivia's nipple, hearing her moan loudly from pleasure. Olivia laced her fingers through Fitz's curls and held him to her.

After a while, Fitz pulled away. He felt better, but if he kept it up, he would just end up taking Olivia back to her room and having his way with her. It looked like a nice day outside and he definitely wanted to go for a run.

"No," whined Olivia, trying to pull Fitz back to her. He was making her feel so good.

"Come on, it'll help you run faster," smirked Fitz as he took the laundry bag back to her room so he could get ready.

Olivia groaned in response and followed him. She flopped on the bed as Fitz got dressed. "You're evil. I'm going to make you pay for that," threatened Olivia.

"Hey, you started it," laughed Fitz as he sat down beside her to put on his shoes. When he was all ready, he grabbed his cell and headphones, and took Olivia's hand so they could get going. "You ready?"

"More than ready," muttered Olivia.

…

"Really? Is there anything you aren't good at?" teased Olivia.

"What? It's not my fault I have excellent self-awareness," laughed Fitz.

They had gone for a long run, even stopping for lunch and then sitting and enjoying the weather as people walked along the Mall. After they rested, they continued their run and finished by going to yoga. Olivia thought she would enjoy watching Fitz move awkwardly at yoga, but instead the exact opposite happened. He seemed to move better than her and she had been going for a while.

"How were you so good?" questioned Olivia.

"Olivia, you know I'm a health nut. I take excellent care of my body. Stretching, you know elasticity for the muscles, is very important in maintenance and growth. Plus, I played lacrosse for how long? Have you forgotten how nimble I can be?" cockily responded Fitz.

Olivia just shook her head. Despite being all sweaty and disgusting after their run, Fitz held up his end of the bargain in accompanying Olivia to yoga. They had gone back to her place quickly, showered and dressed in comfier clothes for the experience. She had not expected Fitz to actually be good at yoga or look as sexy as he did while performing the moves. All the women in the class were envious that Olivia got to go home with him. Funniest part was when one woman whispered to her, "If he can move like that in here, god only knows what your sex life must be like."

Olivia turned beet red at that comment, prompting Fitz to take notice and ask what was wrong. Olivia couldn't bring herself to tell him. She would save that little comment for a rainy day. They picked up dinner afterwards, not wanting to cook for the evening.

They were sitting together on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Fitz didn't want to watch television or even have the tv on. Olivia didn't question it and decided to just settle back into his arms.

After a while, she decided to see if he was in a better mood to discuss his father's phone call.

"So, earlier, what did your dad say to upset you?" quietly asked Olivia.

"To stop being whiny and ungrateful and come back. Apparently, he talked to McNamara and got my job back for me. I know McNamara didn't say anything, so it definitely was Mellie," spoke Fitz, too tired to hide anything from Olivia.

"Why does he want you to go back to McNamara?" continued Olivia.

"Because if I run for governor this cycle, like he wants, McNamara will back us," responded Fitz.

"Well, that's helpful. I don't see what pull McNamara really has, he's east, you're west, it really doesn't make or break you," offered Olivia.

"Yeah, but it helps build credibility working in a public office for a major city administration. Plus, McNamara would also be a major campaign donor," explained Fitz.

"Yeah, but finding campaign donors in California isn't really that hard. Unless… unless there was something greater at stake than just money. If you're governor, you have the inside on everything. If McNamara wants to do anything in California, he has you right in the palm of his hand. He could make the claim that he made you and that you owe him," declared Olivia.

Fitz stayed quiet, mauling over Olivia's words. She was on to something. Plus, for his father to be so adamant about Fitz working for McNamara, that means there was something more than money in it for Big Gerry.

"You're probably right, but I don't want to talk about this any further. I'm relaxed and comfortable and I have you in my arms. I just want to sit and enjoy this," breathed Fitz, hoping Olivia would stop.

"Okay, fine. Just one more thing, what are you going to do about Mellie?" questioned Olivia. She wasn't going to lie, no matter how much she pushed Mellie to the back of her head, Olivia was still afraid Fitz was going to go back to Mellie and leave her.

"I'll eventually call Mellie and tell her I need a break. She can take that however she wants and when I've got all my ducks in a row, I'll go pack up my stuff from our apartment and be done," rationalized Fitz.

"You know it's not going to be that easy," chastised Olivia.

"Coming from the girl who still has a fiancé," countered Fitz.

"Yeah, but that's different. Edison… he's my friend, too," whispered Olivia as waves of guilt started crashing over her.

Fitz could feel her tense up at the mention of Edison and he instantly regretted it. It wasn't fair of him to throw Edison in her face when he was just as guilty with Mellie.  
"Hey, hey. Liv, Liv I'm sorry. That was a low blow," apologized Fitz, hoping they could go back to their previous mood.

"You're an ass," countered Olivia.

"I am," agreed Fitz, hugging Olivia and rubbing her back, hoping it would calm her.

"Well, at least you admit it," spoke Olivia. She was soothed by Fitz's gesture.

"Come on, let's go to bed. You have work in the morning and I need to find something to do with myself," coaxed Fitz as he started moving.

"You're staying?" asked Olivia, wanting confirmation.

"If that's okay with you. I can go to a hotel if that's easier for you. I just think being in D.C. right now will ignite a fire that will get me going," replied Fitz.

"Of course I want you to stay here with me. You're not going anywhere else. Stay as long as you'd like," smiled Olivia.

"Even if it was for forever?" asked Fitz.

"That would make me the happiest," replied Olivia, the joy in her face clear.

Fitz hugged her closely to him. "I love you. Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

Fitz grabbed Olivia's hand and led her back to her room. They made slow passionate love to each other, not being able to get enough of each other. He just couldn't help himself with Olivia.

As they drifted off to sleep, Fitz said a little prayer of thanks. He wanted the big guy up there to know that he was thankful and grateful for Olivia.

The next morning, after another passionate love making session, Olivia went off to work, promising to try to get out at a reasonable hour instead of working late like she always did. Fitz told her not to worry and that he had plenty to do. They kissed gently and said their "I love yous " and Olivia left.

Olivia couldn't help but feel a dooming gloom come over her as she drove to work.

By noon, she decided to call and check on Fitz as she walked down to the food truck to pick up her lunch.

Fitz smiled when he saw who was calling. He'd been researching all morning on events to go to and people to speak to. "Hi," he answered.

"Hi," Olivia responded.

"I miss you," replied Fitz.

"I miss you, too. How's your day? Is everything alright? Did you eat?" asked Olivia.

"It's fine. I'm just researching. I ate. Don't worry. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself. Did you eat? Please tell me you did or I'm going to be one of those annoying people who go to their partner's job during to bring them lunch. And, just to warn you, I only cook healthy – nothing with bacon," joked Fitz.

"I feel like you're here now. How did you know I was eating a BLT?" laughed Olivia.

"I bet you're drinking a Coke with it," continued Fitz.

"Ah, you know me too well," giggled Olivia.

"That I do," agreed Fitz.

Fitz and Olivia chatted until Olivia was done with her sandwich and back in her office. It felt so nice to have someone to call her lunch and just chatter with. She couldn't wait until she got home to him. It would mark the first time Olivia would actually look forward to going home. As they said their goodbyes, Olivia couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry overcome her. It was almost as if things were too perfect. She couldn't believe how happy and lucky she was at the moment.

"I love you," professed Olivia as their conversation was coming to an end.

"I love you, too," responded Fitz. He could hear it in her voice, she was starting to get sad. "I'll see you in a few hours. Try to come home early. I'm lonely without you. I'll even be good and not bother you if you bring your work home, just so you could get here earlier."

Olivia giggled at Fitz's words. She would try her best. She told him as much and hung up.

Later, Fitz decided to do something nice for Olivia and started making dinner. As he started to chop the vegetables, Olivia's doorbell rang. Fitz thought Olivia maybe forgot her keys and went to answer the door. Instead, he saw the last person he had been expecting.

"Fitz."

"Dad?"


	18. Chapter 18

"How did you find me?" asked Fitz incredulously.

"Because I know you. You've been needy ever seen you spotted her weeks ago. It was only a matter of time before you came to find her. I knew I'd find you here with her," smirked Big Gerry as he tried to go inside.

Fitz stepped in front of him, not letting Big Gerry pass. "This is not my home or yours. I'm not letting you in," countered Fitz.

"Fine, then get your things and we can talk on the limo ride back to the airport," responded Big Gerry.

"I'm not leaving with you. I'm not going back to New York to work for that crook. I don't give a damn about him backing for the governor's race," exclaimed Fitz.

"You don't want to go back to New York, fine. I don't really give a damn about McNamara. So what if we look stupid, once you win California it won't really matter. But either way, you aren't staying here. You have a fiancée and a home to get back to, not shacking up with your old college girlfriend," spit Big Gerry.

"I'm not going back to New York. Olivia is not just my old college girlfriend. She is the love of my life and I want to be with her. Can you please just give me some time? You meddled with my internship and got me into McNamara's office instead of letting me find a place based on my own merit. Fuck, Big Gerry, I graduated number one in my class, I could have worked ANYWHERE you wanted me in that scumbag's office? What the hell is wrong with you? I want to make my own way. Just give me some time AWAY FROM YOU so I can be my own man," released Fitz.

"Fitz, I'm not going to give you time with Olivia. You may have easily forgotten how bad things were after the two of you broke up, but I haven't. I refuse to let my son go through that again. You went crazy from it. It's ten years later and you still haven't recovered. The hell I'm going to let you stay around her until something happens again to rip the two of you apart AGAIN and have you go completely bat shit crazy. You want time to be your own man, fine, come back to California and do it there. You don't want to be with Mellie – I couldn't give a shit. But, I must admit, I like that girl. She stayed around through the years and has never done anything to hurt you. AND, I know she has your best interests in heart, but if you don't want her, fuck it, I don't care. You can have any pussy you want – EXCEPT FOR OLIVIA POPE'S – do you I make myself clear?" declared Big Gerry.

"I want to be with Olivia. That is the only way for me to be happy. I want to stay here in D.C. and see how I like it. You never gave me a chance. I mean I wouldn't mind running for governor but I have no idea if I am cut out for that type of work. You need to back off and just leave me be. Olivia is not the problem, you are!" responded Fitz.

"You aren't staying in D.C. You don't need to be in D.C. to know whether you are or are not cut out for politics. You can do that from your home in California. You want to stay and be with Olivia. Not happening. Period. If you won't come back willingly, then you've forced my hand. I've got a P.I., on speed dial, who can start spying on the two of you within the next ten minutes. After a few short hours, he'd probably get enough evidence of you and Olivia being together to go straight to her fiancé in Providence and break his heart. Probably, maybe even leak it to a few media outlets, "Senator Davis' fiancée cheating with millionaire playboy who got fired from Mayor McNamara's office in New York." Wow, when I say it out loud, it sounds even worse than I thought it would. It's your choice Fitz, stay here and ruin not only your reputation but Olivia's too, or come home and start acting like a man there. Clearly, you've finally gotten your balls back, let's see if you can leave with them this time around?" finished Big Gerry.

Fitz was shocked at how diabolical his father was. He couldn't believe Big Gerry would do that to him and Olivia. Fitz saw it in his father's eye, Big Gerry wasn't kidding. It was totally believable that Big Gerry would go so far. Fitz couldn't do that to Olivia. She had worked so hard and was so successful, Fitz couldn't ruin her name just because he couldn't stand up to his father. He knew what he had to do. He had to leave with Big Gerry. But not on Big Gerry's terms.

"Fine, I'll come back to California, but not right now. Give me a few days to get my bearings and then I'll fly on over. Please don't do anything to hurt Olivia. You don't need to make a scandal out of this. I'll come, just give me a few days," offered Fitz, hoping his father would agree.

Big Gerry knew Fitz was telling the truth. If this is what it took to get him back in California, Big Gerry was fine with it. "I want you in California by Wednesday evening. NO LATER. Plus, you are staying at the ranch. That's your home and if we are going to get started on this governor's race, you need feel at home in your home. We can't have talk about you staying other places. There's no plausible explanation for it. IF you don't come by Wednesday, Thursday morning – word is breaking out. Do we have a deal?" countered Big Gerry.

Fitz knew he had no other choice but to agree. He looked away and nodded, feeling like a teenager. It was ridiculous how Big Gerry could still cut him down to feeling so little, even after this time.

"Alright, I'll see you Wednesday," said Big Gerry and then turned and left.

Fitz slammed the door shut in response. Fury raged through his veins now. Big Gerry had just come and ruined everything within a few minutes. Fitz couldn't believe it. He didn't want to leave from Olivia. He wanted to stay and be with her. Fitz abandoned his work in the kitchen and went to Olivia's bedroom. He hadn't fixed the bed because he wanted a reminder of what transpired between with the rumpled sheets. Fitz now went and sat in the chair that was in the corner of Olivia's bedroom. He just sat there, staring at the bed they had shared. He couldn't face the realization that he had to leave.

…

Olivia was excited to get home. She had stopped by bought an amazing bottle of wine for them to share over dinner. Olivia was planning to celebrate their new life together. Fitz was home waiting for her and there was nothing that could make her happier than that.

When she stepped inside her apartment, though, everything had changed.

There were vegetables and a knife abandoned on the cutting board by the sink. The vegetables were half chopped. Chicken was still resting in the sink and Fitz was nowhere to be found. The alarm bells were going off in Olivia's head. She had had a bad feeling all day. Olivia had just chalked it up to nerves. Now, she could feel something wrong in the air. She started calling Fitz's name, hoping he was still there, but got no answer.

Olivia made her way to her bedroom, wanting to change out of her work clothes and then go find Fitz, when she found Fitz in her bedroom, sitting in the dark. She turned on the lights, instantly seeing that there was something wrong with him.

"Fitz! Fitz! What's the matter? Why are you sitting in here in the dark?" questioned Olivia as she walked over to him. She stood in front of him and saw that he was in a daze. Her heart instantly broke when she saw dry tears on his cheeks. Olivia climbed into his lap and tried to get his attention on her. "Fitz? What's wrong?" she asked again as she pulled his chin so that he could look at her.

Fitz finally met Olivia's eyes, which were filled with love and concern, and fresh tears started to fall down them. Fitz had never really cried before, but now it seemed like he couldn't stop. They had finally found each other and yet again had to be separated.

"Everything has gone to fucking shit, Liv. Big Gerry came by. He said I have to go to California or else he's going to send a P.I. to follow us and then go show Edison, along with leaking it to the media so that we are both disgraced," responded Fitz.

"Fine, I'll call Edison right now and call everything off. Done, then Gerry can't do anything. Even if he does leak it to the media, it won't matter cause I'm not with Edison," replied Olivia, willing to do anything to keep Fitz.

"It's not that simple. Even if you call Edison right now, it still needs time. If the info is leaked too early, there still is a scandal and I don't want that for you. I don't want that for us. I don't want anyone tainting what we have," spoke Fitz.

"Why is Gerry doing this?" asked Olivia.

"Because he doesn't want us together. He said doesn't want to see me go bat shit crazy again when we break up," revealed Fitz.

"We aren't breaking up Fitz! This is it! You and me FOREVER. I'm not losing you again," cried Olivia, refusing to believe anything different.

"Well, for the time being, we are going to have to part until I can figure out a way to stop Big Gerry from hurting you. I can't let that happen, Liv," replied Fitz.

"When do you have to go by?" asked Olivia.

"I have to be in California by Wednesday evening," shared Fitz.

"Okay, we have until Wednesday evening to figure out a plan. I'm calling Edison right now," decided Olivia, hoping that would proactively help their situation.

"No, don't. Don't do it like that, Olivia. Edison did nothing to you to get his whole world shattered out of the blue over the phone. You need to go up and see him. Do it right. He loves you. Don't do him like that," said Fitz, hoping Olivia would listen to him.

Olivia nodded in response, knowing she was right. "I can't be away from you Fitz, we need to figure something out. I refuse to let anyone stand the in the way," professed Olivia.

"I know, Olivia. I feel the same way," admitted Fitz, hugging her closely to him as he buried his nose in her hair.

"We'll figure something out. We have to," declared Olivia as she tried to find solace in his arms.

That night Fitz and Olivia didn't get a wink of sleep. They spent the whole night making passionate love to each other, afraid of the clock running out the time they had left together. Fitz forced Olivia to go to work the next morning, despite her protests of wanting to stay home with him and spend every moment together that they could. He told her not to worry, that he would find a way and not to jeopardize her job because she might end up having to be the breadwinner. Olivia laughed at Fitz's comment. It had worked to lighten the mood and Olivia went to work.

Fitz decided to go for a walk and reacquaint himself with D.C. He had remember going down there to visit his father a few times when he was younger, but hadn't spent much time in the capital city. As Fitz walked the streets, an idea popped into his mind when he walked past city hall. He decided to act on it and went inside.

Later, when Olivia came home, Fitz told her his great idea.

"Do you think it will work?" asked Olivia.

"I think if we play it correctly it will," replied Fitz.

"Are you sure you want to do it this way? I mean, I want it, but this isn't the way I had always pictured it," responded Olivia, getting nervous at how real this possibility was becoming.

"If we do this, then no one can keep us apart. I think we should. Then, when I go to California, I will know for a fact that this won't be the last time I ever see you. Plus, there will be no way of Big Gerry to keep us apart," responded Fitz. Fitz saw the worry on Olivia's face and he started having second thoughts about the whole thing. "Unless… unless you don't want to Liv."

"I mean, I do, I do. But, this is not how I ever envisioned it being. I mean, I was hoping for something more romantic. I wanted it to be because you felt it was the right time. This seems more to be out of fear," admitted Olivia.

"Olivia, I understand that we are rushing this, but it was bound to happen someday. Why not just make it sooner rather than later? Plus, I promise to make it up to you. I love you and I want to be with you. I can't handle the possibility of losing you again. Losing you destroyed me last time, and to be honest, I don't know if I'd be able to survive if it happened again," confessed Fitz.

The honesty of Fitz's words was not lost on Olivia. She felt the exact same way. She had been destroyed by what happened, and despite not being vocal about it as Fitz had been, she too had really suffered. Olivia didn't think she could handle losing Fitz all over again. "Okay," finally agreed Olivia.

"Okay?" asked Fitz, not being able to believe.

"Let's do it!" responded Olivia.

…

Fitz and Olivia made it to City Hall. The documents were signed and ready as they waited in line to proceed. Fitz was wearing the suit Olivia had bought him, while Olivia wore a beautiful white dress Fitz had just purchased for her on the way to City Hall. It was ridiculous how expensive it came out to be, but Fitz didn't bat an eyelash, saying it was worth it. He also bought matching shoes and jewelry, wanting to perfect the ensemble. Despite the promises made the previous night, Fitz still wanted this moment to be special.

As they waited in line, Fitz looked down at his pocket. He was glad still a surprise for Olivia. He knew he had jumped the gun when he made it, but he was happy he did now.

"Excuse me… sorry sir… can you please let us through?" called a voice.

Olivia knew that voice from anywhere. "Abby! Over hear!" called Olivia.

Abby saw Olivia's arms waiving in the air and headed towards them. "Come on Harrison, they are almost at the front of the line," she whispered.

Abby grabbed Harrison's arm and pulled him with her, so they could get through the crowd together. As soon as Abby was close enough, she threw her arms around Olivia and hugged her. Tears started to flow from her eyes, prompting Olivia to get a little bit teary eyed herself.

"Oh, Liv, I can't believe this is happening. I'm so happy for you," cried Abby.

"I know," responded Olivia. "Please stop, you're going to ruin my make up."

"Okay, okay, girls. Relax. This is a happy moment, don't cry," tried to cheer Fitz.

"Oh, pipe down Chachee, you're taking Joanie away," shot Abby, causing everyone around them to laugh.

"Chachee?" grinned Fitz.

"Oh, be quiet," hissed Abby.

"Nice to see you again Harrison," smiled Fitz. It had been a very long time since he had last seen Harrison.

"Nice to see you as well," nodded Harrison. It was clear by Harrison's stance and facial expression that he did not want to be there.

"Harrison, relax. I've wanted this for a really long time. Be happy. If not, I'd rather just ask the crabby old lady at the front desk to be here instead of you," shot Olivia, not liking Harrison's mood.

"I'm here because I love and care about you. You are like a sister to me. I'm just watching out for your best interests," declared Harrison.

"Relax, Harrison. I've already been through this with Olivia last night and this morning. This is happening. Nothing we say will change it. Let's celebrate it then, instead of ruining it," responded Abby.

"Thank you," replied Olivia.

"You're welcome," smiled Abby.

"Next Grant/Pope," called a voice.

Fitz and Olivia looked nervously at each other, nodded, and went up. Abby and Harrison followed close behind. They were ushered into a small room where an officiate was already standing.

"Are both parties present?" asked the officiate.

"Yes," replied Fitz and Olivia in unison.

"Are both parties willingly participating in today's events?" continued the officiate.

"Yes," repeated Fitz and Olivia.

"Are you two acting as witnesses?" questioned the officiate.

"Yes," replied Abby and Harrison.

"Alright. Let us proceed then," replied the officiate.

Fitz and Olivia took their places standing across from each other.

"You are here to witness a wedding. Today we unite Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III and Olivia Carolyn Pope as husband and wife. What we do today is done in conformity to the laws of the District of Columbia and in the historical Western tradition of the act of marriage. Fitzgerald and Olivia, you have requested that I marry you. Do you both do this of your own desire and free will?" said the officiate.

"We do," responded Fitz and Olivial

"Do any of the witnesses know of any reason why we may not legally continue with this wedding?" continued the officiate.

"We do not," chimed Harrison and Abby.

"Then let us continue. Fitzgerald, if it is your desire to become the husband of Olivia, then repeat after me: I, Fitzgerald, take you, Olivia, to be my wife. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life," said the officiate.

Fitz repeated. As Fitz said the words, tears started to form in his eyes. He truly meant the words that were coming out of his mouth. Olivia's eyes teared up as well.

"Now, Olivia, if it is your desire to become wife of Fitzgerald, then repeat after me: I, Olivia, take you, Fitzgerald, to be my husband. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life," spoke the officiate.

Olivia repeated. Tears were now flowing down her face, Fitz's face, Abby's and Harrison's. The moment was so beautiful. The love that Olivia and Fitz had for each other was shining through with every word they spoke.

"Fitzgerald and Olivia, you have shared promises in our presence. Do you have a rings that you wish to exchange?" continued the officiate.

"We do," said Fitz. Olivia looked at him in shock. They hadn't bought any rings. She knew nothing of this. "I couldn't help myself Liv, when I got the idea and figured out it was possible, I couldn't stop myself. I just love you so much. You make me so happy," professed Fitz.

The officiate looked to them to see if could continued. Both nodded as Fitz pulled out the rings from his pocket. He handed the rings to the officiated who began again.

"Fitzgerald, will you give your ring to Olivia and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today," said the officiate.

Fitz repeated the words as he placed the ring on Olivia's finger and kissed it. Olivia let a sob out, so moved by the moment.

"Olivia, will you give your ring to Fitzgerald and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today," recited the officiate.

Olivia repeated the words as she placed the ring on Fitz's finger. She, too, leaned down and kissed it, so happy in the moment.

After a brief pause, to let everyone get their bearings, the officiate continued.  
"Fitzgerald and Olivia, you have exchanged your promises and given and received rings in my presence. By these acts you have become husband and wife. According to the laws of the District of Columbia, I hereby pronounce you are husband and wife. Youmay now kiss," finished the officiate.

Olivia pulled Fitz into a long passionate kiss. She didn't care who they were around, she wrapped her arms around Fitz and kissed him with all the passion she held in her. Fitz returned the kiss whole heartedly, even picking Olivia up and spinning her around. After a while, they started to hear gruff noises in the background. They were making everyone else in the room uncomfortable. Fitz and Olivia broke apart and gave a sheepish grins to the catcalls coming from Abby.

Abby took a quick picture of the couple and then they were ushered out so that the next couple could get married.

Fitz and Olivia were on cloud nine. They could not believe what they just did. They were married. No one would ever be able to break them apart again. Fitz picked up Olivia again twirled her around in his arms. She giggled happily, so high on the moment that nothing could bring her down.

Abby had secretly recorded the whole ceremony on her phone. She knew they would want a reminder of their special moment together. Abby would just hold it for safe keeping until she could use to surprise Olivia.

"So, where do you guys want to go now?" asked Harrison as they finally reached the outside again.

"Home," responded Fitz and Olivia in unison. They didn't want to be around anyone else until Fitz had to leave to go back to California.

"Okay, well that was quick. Not even a champagne toast?" asked Abby.

"I have Crystal at home, we'll drink there," replied Olivia.

"Oh, you want us to come over?" asked Abby, a bit surprised by Olivia's response.

"No. Fitz and I can drink it, you guys can wait till party for it. I want to spend some quality time with my husband," responded Olivia.

"Okay, okay," laughed Abby, gesturing for them to go.

"Bye, thank you again," smiled Fitz as he and Olivia got into a taxi.

"Bye. Congratulations," repeated Abby and Harrison as they waved off Olivia and Fitz.

As the taxi drove them back to Olivia's apartment, she couldn't help but feel saddened by the fact that Fitz was leaving her in a few short hours. By the time they set foot inside the apartment, Olivia was bawling.

Fitz grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Sweetheart, please stop crying," he whispered into her ear as he ran his hands soothingly up and down her back.

"I don't want you to go. Please don't go," cried Olivia.

"I don't want to either. I want to stay and be with you, but not at the cost of ruining you," replied Fitz, his heart breaking more and more with each sob.

"I can't live without you," continued Olivia.

"You have to. You have to try, for me," responded Fitz.

"I'm just so happy and now, now you have to leave. This is the worst," huffed Olivia as she started to gain control over herself.

"I know, honey, I know. We'll find a way, don't worry. Come on, let's go drink some champagne, it'll make you feel better," coaxed Fitz.

They drank the whole bottle and then made love until the very last minute before they had to leave for the airport. Fitz didn't even want to shower because he said he wanted to smell like Olivia. Olivia laughed at his words, telling him the first thing he was going to do after a long commercial flight was shower.

As Fitz said his last goodbye to Olivia, he promised he would find a way to be together. Nothing could tear them apart. That was their new mantra. He kissed her goodbye and left, happy that he found a way to keep his Olivia. Fitz was able to get on the plane knowing they would be able to succeed.

…

As Fitz got off the plane, he was greeted by the sight of seeing Big Gerry waiting for him.

"Hello," greeted Fitz tersely.

"You idiot, what the fuck have you done?"


End file.
